Blue Wolf
by Blizzard Wolf Claw
Summary: Two lovers torn apart by the prejudice and hatred between Beorc and Laguz, they end up on the other side of the continent. Many years later, their child is put to the test. Can he break through the hatred between the two races along with the Greil Mercenaries? Or will he become another blank page in history? OC X ?
1. A Family Divided

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated to it.

A/N: This is my new story, which will be on the awesome land of Tellius, featuring an OC, and an awesome one at that! His profile will be on my page, as the OC's usually are, but I will put the character stuff at the end of the next chapter. Anyways… Here is my new story! Enjoy, Comment, Fave, and Follow!

Hm...=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

 _Hmmm…=Ancient Language_

On the continent of Tellius, there are many great nations. To the west, there is the nation of Begnion, with Daein to the north, as well as Crimea and Gallia to the east. Gallia is then next to Goldoa, and the two island countries of Kilvas and Phoenicis, to the south of the continent. There are two races, Beorc and Laguz, which are regular people and those that can shapeshift into massive beasts, respectively. Beorc, populate the areas of Begnion, Crimea, and Daein, however, the other lands are ruled by Laguz.

Kilvas and Phoenicis are home to the ravens and hawks, respectively, and they are rather cautious towards each other many times. Next is Goldoa, which is the home of the dragon Laguz, who are rumored to be the strongest Laguz of all. Lastly, is the beast Laguz, which includes lions, tigers, cats, and the almost forgotten wolves…

The wolves were once a part of Gallia, however, with Laguz slavery happening, the Herons and the Wolf tribes were most affected, with the heron population decreasing to simply four after the Serenes Massacre, and the wolves to dangerously low numbers as well, simply a few hundred, if not half of a thousand at most. After the slavery, Begnion kept the land it gained control over, which included all of the land that belonged to the wolves.

With no home and not enough support from the other tribes, the wolf tribe set a path for a new home, eventually landing in a place they now call Hatari, located on the far eastern side of Daein, separated by the infamous "Desert of Death…"

XXXXX

"Mommy, can we play!?" a seven year old asked, his green and blue eyes shining with innocence and infatuation. He has spiky blue hair along with blue birthmarks going along the edges of his face in the shape of a claw. He wore a brown shirt with short sleeves, with blue pants and a wolf-like tail sticking out of his tailbone.

"Maybe later, Khimari, mommy has some business to take care of, but Volug may be able to play with you. Is that okay?" the mother said. She was a dark skinned woman dressed in black top, along with a short dress and a gray-whitish wolf-tail sticking out as well. Her hair was chaotic and gray/white, and she has tattoos running along her arms and back. She had an air of nobility around her, one that was duly noted.

" _That would be fine,"_ the one named Volug said. He wore no top, and had a long tattoo along his body as well, with black hair that almost covered an eye and a black wolf-like tail, similar to the mother and child. Said child Khimari jumped up in joy before transforming into a wolf and touching Volug with his nose.

"Tag, you're it!" he yelled, before running off into the desert. Volug transformed himself also, and pursued the young wolf Laguz with mighty gusto. A few moments later, Nailah herself transformed to follow her vassal and child as they were going a good deal too far into the desert. She was surprised when she could barely see the village when the three reunited in the middle of the desert.

"Khimari, what did I tell you about going too far into the desert? It's dangerous, so don't do that, please," she chided gently, but the message still had the same effect. The boy's eyes saddened and he put his head down in sadness at the reprimand he received. Nailah responded by putting her finger under his chin and lifting his head up so that the family made eye contact with each other. "Don't worry; I'm not mad, just worried, okay? It's a mother thing."

"Okay momma," the once again energetic kid said, back to his normal self as quick as that. A smile returned to the two adult wolves as the kid rambled once again.

'Just like his father,' the wolf queen thought, before feeling a pang of heartache for her former… no, still her lover. They were divided by the Beorc when Khimari was still inside her belly. With the Laguz slavery being over simply three years ago, tensions were still high, and with no more home, she had to lead her tribe to a place where they can call it home. It still was a sour topic for the queen, as she is still forlorn at the fact that the kid and his father have never seen each other, because they were separated when Begnion took away their land in Gallia, leaving the wolves homeless.

"Well, I think it's time to-" Nailah started before seeing a GIANT sandstorm nearly on top of them. In the desert, sandstorm usually stayed in the heart of the Desert of Death, though some do manage to find their way to Hatari. They were as silent as they were strong, and many members of the clan were victims on their search for a new home. "Run!" she shouted, scooping Khimari into her arms and taking off as fast as she could, with Volug hot on her heels.

The sandstorm was too strong, however, and knocked Nailah on her feet. The sheer wind power and force of the storm mad her release Khimari, whose small body couldn't even come close to standing against this monster of a storm. He was almost instantaneously swept away by the storm and almost buried through the sand. "KHIMARI!" Nailah yelled, worried for the safety of her only child and family left.

"Momma!" the youngster shouted back before being completely removed from Nailah's sight. She went into panic mode immediately, and transformed before heading straight into the storm, dead set on finding her child, if it was the last thing she did. Nonetheless, she could not find her son, even when using every amount of effort she can.

Eventually, the storm subsided; however, the queen's pup could not be found anywhere. She would not give up her only son. She howled as loud as she can, hoping for a response. …Silence was all she heard. That was when something within her snapped, at the sight of her only child, and did not care what the consequences were. "Volug," she called, a quiet anger and anguish that spoke volumes to the vassal.

" _Yes, my queen?"_

"We're leaving tonight, when the sun goes down," she commanded, leaving no room for argument, not that Volug would argue with her. That did not lessen the shock, though, for the servant. Was the queen about to abandon her kingdom?

" _May I ask why we are leaving?"_ he asked, though he pretty much already knew the answer, he needed to see his master's true feelings. He was rewarded when Nailah slowly turned around, looking straight into his eyes. Instantly he was assaulted with a look of fear, helplessness, but determination that easily outweighed the other negative emotions swirlwing around.

"We're going to find my kid. No matter what."

XXXXX

A/N: The end of Chapter 1! Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! (To those who celebrate Kwnaza, happy holidays to you too!

Blizzard, Out!


	2. A New Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Here is the second installment of Blue Wolf! As always, Fave, Follow, and Review, but above all enjoy! Now on with the story! (BTW: Game stats will either be on the next chapter or the one after that. And Happy NEW YEARS!)

Hm...=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

 _Hmmm…=Ancient Language_

This couldn't be happening. It's a nightmare. Her only son vanished in the blink of an eye, and now she was all alone… "Volug, we're leaving," Nailah commanded, with a hollow sound in her voice. She was desperate now, and it has been a few hours after the accident, and she had decided to leave in the cooler night, to avoid sweltering and dehydration in the desert. There was quite a commotion from her people, but eventually they understood her plight, and wished her a fruitful search for their heir.

" _Yes, my queen,"_ he growled, still in his wolf form as he found it comfortable. With the final farewells and preparation, the queen and her faithful servant ventured into the fabled Desert of Death. No one has dared go into the desert after the great journey of the wolf tribe, but she did not think of that at the moment. She had one goal, one mission in mind, and that was to find her child. With that one thing in mind, the two set out right after nightfall, into the treacherous desert.

They had virtually no supplies on the trip, besides some small canteens of water, so they could travel quicker and lighter without much of a fuss. The two left Hatari, trying to follow what was left of Khimari's scent, which was almost non-existent due to the raging sandstorm. Eventually, they decided east, to exit the desert first, before they ran out of water. With that set in motion, they headed in said direction, looking for a way out of the deadly desert that claimed the lives of many.

Eventually, they ran out of water, and had lost their sense of direction in the blistering heat. They were both hot and tired, but they continued to keep pressing on until it became too much. Nailah and Volug reverted out of their wolf form to conserve energy, but the journey had already taken their toll. They were exhausted, hungry, and on a very short leash with the desert. If they did not find a way out of here, they would be another two victims of the ravenous desert.

Four days into the trip, Khimari's scent grew, and even though it was slight, it gave Nailah more hope that her son is alive somewhere. That given, their willpower grew, and they pushed on through with fervor and grit. 'We will find him' was the thought shared by the wolves, as Volug felt a genuine bond with the young heir, and not just a master, but as a friend and an uncle of some sorts. Not that he would say it, of course.

On the middle of the fifth day, the two found a Laguz, and not just any, but a heron, which was presumed to be an extinct species after the Serenes Massacre, which happened only a few years before the wolves were kicked out of their home as well. Nailah picked the white bird Laguz up, and tossed him up on her shoulders. Only a few moments later, the stranger let out a pained groan.

"Are you okay? What happened to you?" she asked. He weakly raised his head, if only barely, and released a cough before muttering some things that were very hard to hear.

"…Begnion… I. Escaped… Blue…. Laguz…Red... Armor…" he said, his voice extremely raspy from the lack of rest and water. However, they gotten the information they needed, and that only made them worry more. Was Khimari taken by Begnion? That would mean nothing good, and would lead to even more issues than what was already there.

"Where did you come from? Can you find a way to get out of this desert?" Nailah asked. In response, the heron pointed a finger to the South, as they were going to the West. With that information now in their heads, the trio headed back South, and before nightfall found a small cave entrance.

'We were going the wrong way the entire time…' the queen thought, truly grateful for the heron that most likely saved their lives from the horrendous desert. Nailah beckoned Volug with her tail, and he grunted in response as they entered the cove… And they were amazed at the sheer sight.

Mounds of gold were everywhere were scattered throughout, along with the sound of a spring in the back. The place seemed to shine gold and radiate with an aura that took your breath away at the sight.

"Amazing," was all she could say, with a grunt of agreement from Volug. They had never truly seen anything like this. They walked down the stairs, but did not get far before they heard a roar from deep within. Within a few moments the group of Laguz was greeted by two tigers, one pink and one purple. They stared at the small ragtag group before chuckling to themselves in an ominous way.

"Looks like we have our dinner, eh brother?" the purple one said.

"Yes, brother, some easy prey," the pink one replied, just as hungry as his brother, possibly twin by closer observation. Nailah responded by slowly taking the heron off of her back and gesturing for Volug to hold him. After that, she transformed into her wolf form. It was very much amazing, as the queen's form was a white wolf with spiky, white fur, along with her royal headwear on top of her head.

After she did the transformation, the tigers struck. Nailah spurred into action, jumping in front of the wolf and heron to give them a chance to step back, which they did. Afterwards, she dashed to the side, evading the tiger's strikes and making them crash into each other.

The white wolf took advantage of their daze by quickly raking her claws down the purple one's side, eliciting a roar of pain (oh, the agony…). Before giving them a chance to retaliate she managed to turn around and give a savage bite to the pink tiger's neck and scratch his leg, too. She took a cautious step back as they were beginning to get up from the beating; however, the pink tiger's leg was badly wounded, and he could not support his giant body with three legs. He fell to the ground, much to the worry of his brother, who also could barely stand with the amount of fatigue he received from the fight.

They had lost the fight, so they saw no reason to stay in their Laguz form. The two untransformed and collapsed after standing for a few moments. Nailah simply huffed and walked past the two, before picking one up, which got some questioning stares from Volug and Rafiel, who was conscious during a good part of the battle, but still was being carried by Volug.

"They're probably bandits, so they aren't going to be much harm to us, and it's not right to leave them for dead. They were just looking for a meal." The rest of the group pondered on her words and agreed that the two rogues should be spared. With that, they were carried to the back, which was a shrine like room with a small cave river flowing in the back. Strangely enough, there was a chair right next to the river. That was where Volug sat Rafiel down, as well as the two tigers they fought earlier. After a quick checkup, Nailah reassured that there wasn't too much damage lost, and they should be fine with a good bit of rest.

After that whole episode passed, the three got water and found food a little out downstream. Nailah and Volug were transformed and sitting next to Rafiel, side by side next to the chair. Out of curiosity, Nailah did want to know what happened to him that made him end up in the desert.

"Well, it started a little before the Laguz Slavery supposedly ended…"

XXXXX

Khimari woke up to find himself on a bed. His head still hurt from the sandstorm, but it wasn't too bad. 'Mommy!' he thought, wondering where his mother would be after he was carried away by the big sandstorm. 'She must be worried' he concluded sadly, disappointed in himself that he made his mom worry. But there were more important things to worry about, like who took him to this house.

He got up out the bed, and gave himself a nice stretch, before trying to wander off to see where he was. He could tell this wasn't Hatari (1), as their houses were mostly made of really hard sandstones and stuff like that, but he didn't know what this weird brown stuff was (2). He did a little exploration before his stomach gave a loud rumble, to which he covered with one hand on his belly. That's when he realized he was really hungry. He started to look around, and couldn't find anything anywhere.

"He's up!" a voice shouted out of nowhere, making Khimari jump and scream. This of course made the other boy scream, and the baby girl (3), who was in the back room, started yelling after she was woken up from her slumber. After the screaming fest died, Khimari looked at the boy closely. He was wearing a short-sleeved brown shirt, along with some brown shorts, and he had blue hair, only darker than his own.

"Hi, I see you're up now… I'm Ike! Nice to meet you!" the boy greeted with a sheepish smile.

"Hi… I'm Khimari," he said, before his stomach rumbled yet again, only even louder. He could only laugh somewhat forcefully at his fortune before he said something. "You… wouldn't happen to have any food, would you?" The other boy chuckled before heading over to a cellar and taking out… a fish? He gave it to Khimari.

"Here you go. I'd cook it for you but I don't…" Ike started to say before Khimari transformed into his wolf form. The boy shouted and stumbled back, never seeing this before. Khimari ignored it in favor of the fish he was given, and devoured it all in less than five bites. He untransformed after he finished the fish to give Ike a proper thanks.

"Thank you, Ike!" he said, before seeing Ike on the floor, having tripped over a carpet. "Umm… Ike, are you alright?" he asked, seeing as the boy looked like he saw a ghost. He quickly picked up Ike and stood him up, but the boy still looked shell-shocked. A few moments later, Ike was out of his daze, but still in shock.

"H-How? Wha? You ju-just turned-in-into b-big wo-wolfy!" Ike said, before noticing his tail for the first time since they met. "You have a tail, too! You're one of those… um… the sub-human guys, right?" That earned him a quick smack to the shoulder, courtesy of Khimari, and even as a child he was a Laguz at heart, which meant that it hurt. "Ow! Whacha do that for!?" Ike yelled, holding his shoulder in pain.

"You don't call us "sub-human." It's mean and really bad. If you want to call us somethin', then it's Laguz, k?" Khimari scolded. Ike's eyes widened, realizing what he said was offensive, and muttered a quick apology, which was accepted by the blue wolf.

Afterwards, the two hit it off, playing and laughing together, and Khimari even met Mist while with Ike, and they later played more games with each other.

…He had yet to catch Khimari in a game of tag. "Huff…Huff… How long can you be a wolf?" he asked the Laguz, who turned back into his regular form.

"As long as I want to (4)!" He answered. "My mom gave me this, and she says that it helps me stay like that longer and easier until I can do it myself completely." He held up a blue pendant to showcase his point. By the time he was done, Ike was in awe.

"Cool! Hey, wanna meet my mom and dad? You'll love 'em!" Ike asked, to which Khimari agreed to in a heartbeat. Just then, Khimari got a scent on his nose, which he told Ike.

"Hey, I smell something," he said, getting Ike's attention.

"What do you smell?"

"I don't know. Want to see what it is?" Khimari asked. Ike nodded and the two left the forest next to the house to look. Khimari's nose led them to a horrible seen that would leave a scar on them forever.

There was a pile of dead men, all of them armed, and there was one last person fighting against someone with a blue/bronze medallion in their hand. The person was holding a lance, and swung it at the man with the medallion with awe-inspiring accuracy. It was all for naught however, as the seemingly enraged man countered with his sword, pushing the one in red back like a ragdoll before shoving the sword through the chest of his opponent. He then pushed the man off of his sword before yelling in a mad craze, as if driven insane. Then a woman with a blue dress with blue hair the same color as Ike's ran over to the man, and took the medallion away from him. "Please, stop!" she yelled, but it was too late, as no later after she took the medallion, she was impaled with the man's sword. She went limp shortly after, dropping the medallion on the floor, and her head was leaning forward. The man let out a feral roar, before being clouded by a blue aura, which returned to the medallion. The medallion glowed a brilliant fiery blue before the aura disappeared completely, leaving the old bronze thing sitting on the pavement.

As for the man, the sword left the woman's body and they both fell to the ground, the man's sword leaving his hand on impact. "M-Mom," Ike said, leaving Khimari shocked at what he heard. If the woman was Ike's mother, than that means… the man was most likely the young boy's father. His friend just saw his mom get murdered by his father in cold blood.

"I-Ike..." Khimari trailed off, not knowing what to say after witnessing that event. His eyes eventually trailed off, just staring at the scene before them for what seemed like hours. Finally, Khimari stared off at the medallion, wondering what could have happened. He couldn't explain, but it felt like something… was calling him. Cautiously, he walked up to the medallion and touched it with the tip of his tail. When he saw there was nothing wrong with it, he reached out his hand and picked it up.

Instantly he was swarmed with memories from all over his mind. A giant tsunami like nothing he's ever seen, a blood-littered land, and a helpless girl crying at a lake. It only lasted for a few seconds give or take, but to Khimari it felt like an eternity before it stopped. All the while on the outside Khimari was standing calmly with a dark blue aura that danced around him, to the amazement of Ike as well as the two people who came after they saw the carnage. Eventually the flame slowly died down, and Khimari just stood there, with a blank look at the medallion, somehow oblivious to the outside world.

"Sir Gawain!" the man in red armor yelled after his attention was drawn away from the Laguz child, and lifted his master's head up. His heart jumped when he felt a pulse coming from the man Greil; he was still alive. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for his wife, who lay on the ground in a pile of blood. That was when Mist came out, and saw Ike crying, but still motionless.

"Ike, what's wrong?" Mist asked innocently, before following his gaze to their parents. "Oh, mom/dad? Why are they sleeping out here? They'll catch a cold!" she was worried, but Ike's tears continued to stain the ground, increasing their worry even more. "They… are asleep, right?" she asked fearfully.

The man in the robes with the staff could only shake his head in sorrow for the three innocent children forced to see this event. He could clearly see that the man's son would be affected the most, seeing as he saw everything. 'He is too young to have this burden,' the man thought, and decided to help the boy forget all about this, even if he will still be plagued about this for years to come. He raised his staff and chanted a spell. A glow appeared around Ike, and the boy screamed before falling unconscious. This was after Mist followed the man in the red armor back in the house, carrying Gawain. That was also when Khimari fell out of his trance at the sound of Ike screaming, and turned around to see him fall on the ground.

"Ike!" Khimari said, rushing over to his new friend's aid. He picked him up and carried him on his back, carrying the boy inside the house in an impressive display of strength for a child, while still carrying the medallion in his free hand. When Khimari got to the house, the man in the red armor exited, going back to the side of his master.

"What of the medallion?" the red armored man said.

"We will leave it with the children, as it seems the girl can carry it. And I was very much surprised to see that a Laguz could hold it as well without going insane. I will be interested to see how he grows."

XXXXX

(Spoiler ALERT!)

A/N: That's a wrap! Basically, for those who don't remember this, this was an unlockable cutscene in Radiant Dawn, that shows after you beat the Black Knight when fulfilling certain conditions. Anyway, for the number scheme….

1\. Hatari's houses are much like the Hopi houses in the southwest U.S (use google).

2\. Weird brown stuff=wood Remember, he lived in a desert.

3\. Mist…

4\. In my version, all Laguz royalty gets Formshift from the time they are born (like hereditary), and the Laguz Gem helps them learn how to control it before they don't need it anymore, and passes it off to their own offspring.

See you later, and remember, Fave, Follow, Comment!

Wolf, out!


	3. Mercenaries and Training

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Hello, to all! Here is the new chapter to Blue Wolf, and just asking... Have any of you seen a picture of a raccoon kissing a squirrel?

 **Edited: 4/18/16**

 _10 Years Later_

In the forests of Crimea, 17 year-old Ike and his father, Greil, were sparring with each other using wooden swords. All the while, Khimari was in wolf form observing the fight under the cozy shade of a tree.

It has been ten years since he and Ike met, and since the incident happened, which left Ike without a mother. Khimari still remembers what happened that day, as does Greil, but he was told by the latter not to tell Ike until he was "deemed" ready, and Mist was simply too young to remember anything. After that day, Khimari eventually became a part of the family, coming along with Greil and his children, even though he never could shake off the thought of finding his long-lost mother one day, as well as Greil becoming sort of a father figure to him. He also helped out with the Greil Mercenaries, and although he was very much qualified, Greil refused to let him on the front lines, always saying he "wasn't ready."

Back to the spar, Greil was easily holding Ike at bay with a series of parries and dodges, though his prowess was showed when he took every advantage given to him by Ike. Ike's sword style, from what Khimari could tell, involved brute strength and overpowering his opponent along with better than average, but still rather slow speed and recovery time. Eventually, the two clashed again, with the result of this being Ike thrown on the ground by Greil with a strong push that knocked him off balance.

"Had enough, Ike?" Greil challenged, pointing his sword in front of Ike's face. Not one to give in, Ike steadily returned to his feet and continued the assault on his father. This time around; however, Ike was getting desperate, and it showed as Ike was doing very sloppy blows with all of his might in every single one. A little after Ike and Greil began round two of their spar, he heard someone coming, and turned his head to see Mist running down the hill.

"Ike! Father!" Mist called. This succeeded in seizing Greil's attention, as the older man lowered his sword and turned his head to face his daughter. To Ike, however, it was an opportunity to strike. With a fierce battle cry, Ike rushed forward with an overhead strike, poised to finally defeat his father in combat…

…Only for Greil to easily sidestep the attack, the force of the intended strike knocking Ike off balance. Before Ike could regain his footing, Greil sent a vicious strike to his back, knocking him out and leaving him sprawled across the forest floor. Mist and Khimari couldn't help but wince at the loud " _thwack_ " of the wooden trainee sword being slammed into Ike's back, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy as his body smacked the ground with a thump, unconscious.

"Ike!" Mist shouted in worry, running over to her unconscious brother, while Khimari just padded along with her at a slower pace. After making a heavy sigh, Khimari untransformed out of his wolf form and picked up the unresponsive Ike with a pained grunt. He may have been a Laguz, but with the amount Ike eats, which sadly rivaled his own appetite considering that he IS and actual beast Laguz, meant he was hard to carry. While Khimari was going by the bank where Mist collects flowers to set the knocked out Ike down, said flower collector was busy chastising her father about knocking Ike unconscious… again…

"You need to learn not to be so rough on Ike, father! He probably already has brain damage from how many times you've knocked him out!" Mist admonished Greil. Ever the headstrong one, during the entire rant he walked over to the place Ike was knocked out and picked up the trainee sword at the end of the rant.

"He needs to learn, and going easy on him all the time isn't going to help him become a mercenary," Greil responded, before tossing the wooden sword at Khimari, who caught it with practiced ease. "And now it's your turn to learn."

Khimari never was comfortable with using Beorc weapons, as all Laguz were, but somehow Greil had convinced to at least learn the beginnings of swordplay, even if only used as a last-resort. Now he was nowhere as good as Greil, and Ike would usually beat him in most of their fights with the sword, unless he was fast enough to avoid his strikes or if Ike just had an off day.

Immediately, Greil rushed at Khimari with a side strike, and he did all he could to just barely dodge it. By reflex he put his sword up to block the side strike and pushed it down before thrusting straight at Greil's stomach. The older man simply sidestepped and tried another side strike to be dodged by Khimari yet again. This continued on for a few moments, with Khimari being chased down by Greil while trying to find an opening to capitalize on. He had managed to get one or two strikes in, but they did pretty much nothing to the hulking beast that was Greil.

Eventually, Khimari somersaulted away from Greil to avoid another strike that would have knocked him out the same way Ike was. He took the brief reprieve to fix his sword stance to a way that would allow him to use all of his speed, while Greil thought it was a good time for taunting.

"I thought wolves were predators, not the mice. Looks like there not all they're made out to be," he taunted, trying to use the same tactic he had on Ike. It seemed to work as Khimari rushed in for an attack, seemingly blinded by anger, and raised his sword for an overhead strike. Greil prepared to block, only to be surprised when Khimari feinted to the right side and struck him in the side with his trainee sword in his left hand.

Considering Khimari was more dominant with his right hand, it didn't do much to faze Greil, but it still had the desired effect. Greil was thrown off by the evasive action and had to take the defensive, and Khimari struck.

He used everything he had in his arsenal, and it still seems like Greil barely broke a sweat, but that's more than Khimari's ever made him do before, so he felt a lot better than usual. Khimari kept on the offensive, using fast feints, and ducks to his advantage against Greil's giant size. Eventually, it seemed like he could actually pull through, however Greil wasn't having any of it.

When Khimari dove in for another counterstrike, Greil took a step back and spun around, leaving no options left for the Laguz except for blocking the strike with his sword, which he did. The mercenary leader's strength was simply ridiculous, because as soon as the swords met, Khimari was pushed back several inches and almost fell on his back from the sheer force. The wolf refused to give in, and pushed back with everything he had. It was amazing, especially when he actually started to push Greil back, even if very slowly.

…Then the sword broke in half from the pressure, leaving Khimari with a stump of a sword. Seeing as he already lost, he just sighed and dropped the stump on the ground, as Greil gave one of his infamous smirks. "Looks like you overdid it, eh?" he said rhetorically. Khimari didn't have a rebuttal to that so he just settled for a soft growl and a glare towards the other man. Greil simply laughed at the poor intimidation attempt, and turned his attention to Mist, who was picking flowers next to Ike. She was singing that song that her mother used to sing, and all of them loved it, especially Khimari.

"Go get some extra swords," Greil told him, gesturing to Ike, who was starting to awaken. "Get Boyd too, and tell him we're doing some training." Knowing what he meant, Khimari nodded before transforming and racing off into the forest. Everything to him was a blur of sight and smell as he raced through the forest to the mercenary base where all of them lived and did business. Before long, he reached the camp and went to the inventory room. He got the wooden swords in his hands before going to look for Boyd. He had no idea where the axe user would be, so he went to ask Oscar, who was his older brother.

"Oscar, do you know where Boyd is?" Khimari asked, stepping into the kitchen where the former was starting to cook dinner as it was a good while after noon, and would take some time to get ready.

"Try the field outside, the one on the other side. If he listened to Titania this time, he should be doing practice swings," the green head said. Khimari gave his thanks and went around to the other side of the base to see Boyd slacking off a bit, his practice axe stuck in a tree as he leaned against the same tree.

"Boyd!" Khimari yelled, startling Boyd who pulled out his axe and swung it to prove something.

"Titania, I was practicing I sw-" he stopped when he saw Khimari standing over there, laughing his face off with his tail swishing happily in agreement. Boyd's shock turned to anger as his face settled into a scowl, rushing up to the blue wolf. "What are you doing here, you're supposed to be training, like me!" he boasted.

"Suuuree…" Khimari sarcastically replied, at which point Boyd looked away. "Anyways, Sir Greil wants you to train with Ike, now." Boyd just shrugged and hefted his axe on his arm.

"Ok, but don't be mad when I beat you." Khimari just rolled his eyes, knowing that he could beat Boyd anytime he wanted.

"I'll try," was all he said.

XXXXX

Before long, the two made it back to the forest to see Ike up and about, while Mist and Greil waited on the sidelines. Khimari threw the extra sword to Greil, who in turn threw it to Ike. "Ike, Boyd will be your opponent now," Greil instructed.

"What!? I have to go against some trainee?" Boyd shouted, which showed he didn't entirely hear what Khimari told him. Greil just shook his head at the boy's antics.

"Yes you do. Or is a trainee too much for a full-fledged mercenary to handle?" Greil said. His reverse-psychology worked, as Boyd grabbed his axe and ran into the clearing, standing across from Ike.

"Pff, as if!" he said, fully ready due to Greil's taunts. He readied himself into a battle position. "Well, don't just stand there, let's get started!"

"Hold on a sec, I'm coming!" Ike said, rushing for Boyd. A few seconds later, the two boys clashed, wood sword against axe. The two were at a stalemate before Ike gave Boyd a nice whack to the stomach, causing him to backpedal and separate to catch his breath.

"Come on Ike!" Mist cheered, happy to see her brother not getting knocked out for once, and winning, too. "Boyd's got nothing! Take him out!" Mist's way of cheering certainly didn't help Boyd out in the confidence department.

"Got nothing? I have nothing. I mean…" Boyd tried to respond, but failing miserably, earning giggles and smirks on the sidelines as the three watched Ike and Boyd fought it out. Boyd did manage to give Ike a pretty bad wound to the arm, but in the end, Ike was the better person. One good knock over the head and Boyd was on his knee grabbing his head, axe fallen on the ground. Seeing as the battle was over, Mist and Khimari went their way to give congratulations to Ike for beating Boyd.

"Great job, brother, you showed him who is boss!" Mist said.

"Boyd, what happened to that fire of yours?" Khimari asked the defeated Boyd, who responded by quickly getting back on his feet and hefting his axe over his shoulder, brimming with energy despite losing quite badly.

"What do you mean? That was a warm-up, and now I'm ready for anything!" the green-head countered. That was when Greil decided to enter the conversation as Mist was busy giving Ike a vulnerary to use to fix his bruises up.

"Really? Then you wouldn't mind another match would you?" he asked. Boyd, being the stubborn one, agreed very quickly, almost instantly in fact. "Alright, then. Khimari!" the beast Laguz turned his head at the call. "Ike's not having all the fun, it's your turn," Greil said. Khimari just nodded and told Boyd "whenever he's ready."

He had to wait a second for Boyd to use the vulnerary, but after he was done, he gave it back to Mist and got in a fighting position. "Alright, beast boy, get ready!" he taunted. That was when he noticed that Khimari didn't have a weapon to fight with. "Hey, where's your weapon? You're not fighting me with your hands, are you?"

The Laguz laughed in response, before giving his answer, "Close enough." Before Boyd could ask what that meant, a soft blue light surrounded Khimari for a second before he was replaced by a blue wolf, some places light blue and others a darker shade of blue.

Boyd underestimated Khimari and paid for it. "Ha, a big dog? Wanna play fetch?" he taunted again. He would soon regret that as Khimari shot toward him at a speed that could only Titania and Greil could currently even hope to match. Boyd hastily put his axe up, barely blocking Khimari's first paw swipe, which was very strong to the point where Boyd was pushed back a bit.

The green-head then tried to retaliate with a quick axe swipe from point-blank range, but the blue wolf simply jumped back before head butting Boyd in the stomach, sending him back a few feet onto his knee. He got up very fast to see Khimari right in front of him, and simply raised his axe to absorb the blow like last time. What he didn't expect was a big pain coming from his shoulder that made him turn around and grab his wounded shoulder. When he turned around and saw nothing, he had no chance to face his opponent before being pushed to the ground by Khimari.

Boyd was lying on his back, holding his stomach as his axe fell on the ground a few feet away from him. Seeing as Khimari was the victor, no one was really surprised, because only Titania and Greil could beat the wolf while transformed, and even they had a hard time. Boyd, however, has not seen ever seen a Laguz in battle, and learned the hard way that it was definitely frightening. Reverting back to his human form, Khimari lifted Boyd up to the point where he could stand on his feet by himself with the support of a tree to prevent him from barfing.

"Boyd, that's a teachable lesson. Never underestimate you're opponent, no matter who fluffy they are," Greil said, directing the last part at Khimari, who scoffed and crossed his arm.

"Hey, being fluffy is a good thing," he defended.

"Yeah, if good is being Mist's part time pillow!" Ike interjected, getting indignant cries from the wolf and said sister, which made everyone burst into laughter.

After the laugh fest at the expense of the two medallion keepers, Boyd came up to see what would happen. "So, boss, what now?" Greil was about to say that they would return to base, but caught a light in Ike's eye and gave a smirk. Seems the boy still had fire in him. Of course, it was his boy after all, so he wouldn't expect anything less.

"What do you say Ike, ready for round two?" Greil challenged. Ike stood his ground, head raised high.

"Anytime." With that, the final showdown happened, father vs. son. This was Ike's true test, and Greil just needed to see how much he has improved. The first part was beating Boyd, so the second part should be… a bit more subtle.

The two took their stances while the rest retreated to the sidelines to watch the match. They stared each other down for a good long minute, before Greil led the first charge. "Get ready Ike, here I come!" he said as he rushed to his son. He immediately started with a wide swipe at Ike's mid section, which was blocked by Ike, before the blue-haired trainee fell back to give his own blow, which connected with Greil's arm.

This slowed the man down a little bit, but he was still dominant, matching blow with blow with Ike before they were clashed in a stalemate. "Give it your all!" Greil yelled to encourage Ike, and he delivered. Ike was slowly gaining an advantage on Greil, and it was something that felt different to the teenager. It felt… too easy. Especially when he managed to land a would-be fatal strike to his father, causing him to slowly fall and lean on his sword. A few seconds, Greil got back up, with everyone surrounding the father and son.

"Congrats, Ike, you won!" Mist cried out happily, much to the chagrin of Khimari's ears, while he just gave an approving nod. Ike, wasn't sold on something, though.

"Father… Were you holding back?" When Ike asked that question, all of the conversation that was happening ceased, and all eyes were on Greil. He gave a smirk, but one of pride.

"If you could tell, that means you're improving. And by the look of your practice, you're ready to join the front lines," he looked at Khimari. "The wolf too."

They were both overjoyed, but had to look calm for the sake of the moment. "Really? You think we're ready to be mercenaries?" Ike asked quietly.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Khimari asked. Greil responded with a command.

"Up bright and early tomorrow, got it?"

"Yes… Commander," the two said.

 **A/N: Here you go people! I know it was cheesy at the end, but I needed to update this before tomorrow, which is Sunday. So, you haters, DEAL WITH IT! And here are the stats for Khimari. (Note: The bold is for when transformed)**

Beast (Wolf) Laguz: Lv. 4

Affinity: Wind

HP: 40

Attack: 7- **13**

Skill: 7 **-12**

Magic: 1- **3**

Speed: 12- **20**

Luck: 10

Con: 9- **22**

Weight: 8

Def: 5- **13**

Res: 3- **5**

Move: 7- **9**

 **Abilities, Scrolls, whatever you wanna call it. :P**

 **Formshift**

 **Wrath**

 **Miracle**

 **Paragon**

Signing off,

Blizzard


	4. All In a Day's Work

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Well, I'm back, and trying to be happy. Well, I am happy, but sad… Is there a word for that? Anyway, here I am, and here is your chappy!

Hm...=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

 _Hmmm…=Ancient Language_

In the middle of the night, Khimari was sitting on a tree outside with the medallion. He couldn't sleep tonight because of the excitement of his and Ike's first mission tomorrow. Well, that, and the fact that tonight was an orange moon. It didn't happen much, maybe once or twice a year, but it was mysterious and just as amazing each and every time.

The medallion was glowing a soft blue with the aura covering Khimari, as it always did when he held it. Mist and he were mystified why the same thing didn't happen when she held it, and only Greil really knew, as no one else could even touch it by the leader's orders. Mist wouldn't understand, but would listen to her father anyway. It also was like Khimari could talk to it, or her as the supposed spirit of the medallion told him.

It was a lonely spirit, from what he could tell, because the spirit couldn't talk to him much, besides sending pictures from the past to the wolf about her life. It usually never went beyond the crying girl with orange pigtails, and a white bird singing a song to her, which coincidentally happens to be the same one that Mist knows. In retrospect, he had very little idea of what she actually was, so he disregarded until it kept reappearing whenever he touch the medallion.

He just sighed and walked back to the mercenary base, when he could tell it was long after nightfall and everyone else was most likely asleep. He put the medallion back in the secret hiding place where Mist has it, and silently went back to his room which he shared with Ike. Hearing his surrogate brother snore louder than Boyd put a small smile on his face, although he was annoyed inside because it was always hard to sleep due to his sensitive ears. Over time, he just learned to tune it out as he just did before transforming into a wolf and going to bed.

XXXXX

The sunshine beamed into the front of the base of the Greil mercenaries, and into the room lied a sleeping Ike, still snoring like he was at night. Nearly everyone else was up, and they were off doing their chores, with the exception of Boyd, who like Ike was out like a light as well. Oscar was in the kitchen, with little Rolf helping out with setting up and the sort. Mist job was laundry detail, which Khimari helped with by gathering everyone's dirty clothes and sheets, as well as anything else that needed a good cleaning. All the while, Greil and Titania would be… actually, nobody really knows what they do in the morning.

This time, though, Khimari was taking some soup to the priest of the Mercenaries, which was Rhys. He hadn't been able to do much because he was sickly, and had came down with a fever a few days ago. He had been getting better each day, and it was probably just another day or two before he could go back to his regular activities.

After going down to the last room in the corridor where Rhys' room was, he put the bowl of soup in one hand before opening the door. Peeking inside, he saw that Rhys was still asleep, which was good. He needed rest. As cautious and silent as possible, the wolf Laguz laid the hot bowl of soup right on the nightstand next to Rhys' bed, before exiting the room with just as much silence as not to wake Rhys up.

Next on his list of chores, he went over to every room to collect the sheets and dirty clothes from the place, starting with Greil's room. He walked over and collected all of the man's dirty things, including the sheets on his bed. With that done, he headed over to the brothers' room, where Rolf, Oscar, and Boyd all shared a room. In there, Rolf was already tidying up. He looked up when Khimari opened the door, as he was just folding something.

"Oh, hey Fang, the pile's right there," the youngest of the trio said, pointing to the dirty pile of clothes that seemed to reek of Boyd's scent more than anything. As for the name Fang, it was just a nickname for the wolf that Rolf used after seeing him transform for the first time. Eventually, many others started calling him that occasionally and it just stuck, and became much like his middle name now. Before he went to pick up the clothes and things, he noticed that a sheet was missing. Looking over, he could see Boyd snoring, sprawled all over his bed with drool out of his mouth.

Rolling his eyes, Khimari just yanked the sheet from under Boyd, causing the boy to fall onto the ground with a loud _thud_. The victim of Khimari's manhandling quickly sprouted on his feet, clearly agitated by what the now laughing wolf had done. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you!?" he yelled.

Khimari just went to the door and said "Rise and shine, Daisy," before exiting the room with all of their laundry. Considering he probably couldn't carry anymore, he dropped it off to Mist, who was already working hard with her and Titania's load, doing the ladies first so "no one gets any ideas." After that business was done, the last room left was his and Ike's, for the sole reason that unlike Boyd, Ike would fight when someone woke him up, which usually led to a bleeding nose for Khimari, or Ike getting a good extra 15 minute nap courtesy of the Laguz's fist on his head.

He opened the door to see Ike up, and let out a grateful sigh. That meant no injuries would happen this morning. 'Maybe, Boyd might have hit something,' he thought with an inward smirk. "Sheets n' clothes, please," he said, picking up his own. Ike groggily got his own things ready, sleep still evident in his movement. Khimari gave his thanks to the sleepy blue head and gave the rest of the laundry to Mist.

Afterwards, they all showered, in groups of two, with the exception of Khimari, who showered earlier in the morning. With his chores done, he decided to help Rolf out with setting the table, even if it was a stunningly simplistic to do. By the time everyone finished getting their showers in, Oscar was finished with breakfast and everyone came to the mess hall. As usual during any meal of the day really, Ike, Khimari, and Boyd; the three biggest appetites in the company, were first in line.

After everyone was served, Oscar took his own dish and sat down with the rest of the mercenaries, who had made a small conversation going on about whatever topics they could think of, though the main one was Ike and Khimari's first mercenary assignment being today. "Really! That's awesome!" Rolf said excitedly. "How'd you get Mr. Greil to let you in?"

"Oh, we just both beat the crap out of Boyd," Khimari answered. "Some beatings worse than others," he added, much to Boyd's expense. Boyd's pride wouldn't let this go unchallenged, though.

"Please that was a lucky shot, and you know it! I don't know what that wolf thing was, but it can't be that good if today is your first day!" he tried to recover from the blow to his ego.

"Actually, Boyd, his Laguz form makes him very powerful, in fact the third strongest here out of all of our mercenaries," a voice amended the partially conceited fighter. All of them turned their heads to see Greil and Titania, who was right behind their leader. They both walked up to the table before Greil began again. "Laguz are extremely powerful, and it only adds on that they were basically built for battle. That is why they outclass many normal men, except for those with the upmost skill." By the end of the explanation, even Khimari had started to shy away with embarrassment over his race, being the only Laguz in the company.

"Well, Khimari isn't THAT strong, is he?" Boyd stubbornly asked, trying to still keep up his "tough reputation."

"That one Laguz sitting right next to you could kill everyone besides me and Titania in a matter of minutes if he so desired," Greil said. "And he's not even the worst of them." Silence, was all one could hear after that. Excluding Ike, who already knew the depths of Khimari's strength, everyone was astonished to hear that their close friend and even family they might say, could kill them with just a thought. Boyd paled after hearing what Greil said, which meant that the wolf was going EASY on him yesterday, yet he was still humiliated and thrown around like a ragdoll.

'And there are some that are MORE dangerous than him? Thank goodness he's the only one I know,' Boyd was secretly thinking, grateful to Ashera that Khimari was the only Laguz he ever fought. With that deep in their minds, Greil and Titania went over for their share of food and sat down with the others at the tables. They proceeded with small conversation, with the random question thrown around about Laguz that either Greil or his second in command answered. Although, Rolf's questions were starting to get annoying.

"Hey, Khimari, can I be a Laguz?" he asked.

"No."

"Well, can I have a tail?"

"No."

"What abou-" he was shushed by a slap to his cheek by a tail.

"If it has anything to do with being, or becoming another animal, then no." Rolf fell silent, miffed that he couldn't finish his questions. After that, everyone finished their meal quickly after that (basically meaning after Ike and Greil finished their 11th plate), and got ready for their mission. Greil and Titania went to the little strategy room in the back, which was in the middle of the hall, while everyone else got ready for battle. Mist and Rolf went outside to pick flowers, again, and this time, Ike and Khimari would join the Mercenaries in their work.

"Alright, everyone, here's the plan," Greil started. Titania gathered around the map and leader with rapt attention to see what their assignment was for today. "The nearby village of Caldea has called for our help getting rid of a few bandits that overran their town. Oscar, Boyd, you, and the two newbie's can do this without much difficulty. As for the other mission, Gatrie, Shinon, and I can handle that alone," he concluded.

"Titania, I expect you to show the two first-timers the ropes, alright? Let them learn, but if things get hairy…" he trailed off, which seemed to increase the effect.

"Yes Commander, I will do my best," she agreed, nodding her head. If they were in any imminent danger, specifically Ike, she was to rescue them. After their debriefing, they went back to the mess hall, which was the mission gathering area as well, seeing the two older brothers along with Khimari, and they were all suited for battle.

Narrowing his eyes, Greil left Titania with the others for a moment, much to their confusion. That was cleared up a few moments later when Greil took out a hooded cloak, much like the one Soren wears, and a sword, and tossed both to Khimari. He caught them, and got the look in Greil's eye. "We would rather not have to deal with hostile townspeople who have something against Laguz." The wolf nodded, though with a slightly peeved look, and put on the cloak to conceal his tail and anything else that might give him away as a Laguz.

A few moments after he finished, Ike came out with his weapon in hand, ready for battle.

"Ready for your first day, Ike?" Titania asked gently to the newcomer. The newcomer eagerly nodded his head, followed by a snort from Greil.

"What you are is late. Everyone else is here is ready to go," he reprimanded.

"It won't happen again, fa- commander."

"That's what I like to hear. Now, Titania will take all of you on your mission, as I will be going on a separate mission with Shinon and Gatrie." Khimari growled at the mention of Shinon, as the two never got along, and have tried to kill each other MANY times. Eventually Greil made it a point to keep them a safe distance from each other to prevent any… accidents from happening. "Titania, give them the overview. Dismissed," he finished, leaving the base for his mission with a swish of his cape. With Greil gone, everyone looked to their second-in-command.

"I will explain our situation on the way out," was all Titania said before leaving outside, followed by the rest of the mercenaries. The group traveled in a northwesterly direction, arriving at their destination an hour after departure. The second-in-command stopped before resting her eyes on Ike and Khimari.

"This is our mission. In this town of Caldea, the people have been overrun by bandits, and it's our job to get rid of them. Ike, I suppose now would be a good time to teach you about the weapon triangle," she said, much to Ike's confusion.

"What's the…weapon triangle?" he asked slowly.

"The weapon triangle is a cycle of a type of weapon naturally having an advantage. For example," she said, lifting her steel axe up high so everyone could see it. "My steel axe has a natural advantage against lances, but a natural disadvantage against swords." That was when Oscar decided to join in with his weapon as well.

"The same goes for me. My lance is good against swords, but bad against lances," he added. By that time, the gears in Ike's head were starting to roll.

"So my sword… is strong against axes, but weak against lances?" he said, getting the full roll of the cycle. Titania nodded her head with approval before continuing on.

"Another thing, you will have to hold your own, but if things take a turn for the worse, you can depend on us."

"Yeah, you can-and should let us help you if the need arises, " Oscar added again. Ike nodded, fully ready to do the mission. "Oh, and remember to drop by the houses and warn the people that the battle is going on so there isn't any crossfire," the eldest of the triple children said.

With that in mind, they made a point to visit all of the houses, starting with the one they were right outside of. "Ma'am, we're about to drive out the bandits, and we ask that you stay in the house," Ike relayed to the young woman.

"Oh, you're the mercenaries, right? Well, thank you, and here," she said, giving Ike a Steel Sword. "You can use it better than we can. We're people, not fighters." With that, Ike left the house, brandishing his newly received sword. He decided to test it out when he saw a brigand in front of him. Their eyes clashed and the battle began. Ike rushed forward to deliver a quick slash to the Brigand's left arm, cutting quite deeply. The bandit hissed in pain and tried to attack Ike with his axe, the latter whom simply sidestepped the attack, staying out of harm's way. He returned the favor, sending another cut that split the brigand's head as he died instantly.

'I…killed him' Ike thought, before banishing the thought from his head. There was no time for self-pity on the battlefield. He looked over to see Boyd handling a fighter, and Oscar dealing with a myrmidon near a house that Khimari was protecting from another brigand.

"What's going on!?" he heard a voice say. His eyes scattered to see two brigands; the leader and what looks like a second-in-command.

"Pah, mercenaries… So these people think they can scare us away with some stinkin' sellswords? Well, let's show 'em they're wrong!" He then caught some fire and set fire to a house. The leader, who was watching, laughed in amusement as the people inside were killed by the burning house. Ike's blood boiled; how dare they ruin innocent lives just to prove a point that they're wrong about?

Without thinking, he rushed forward without any thought, looking to murder the bandit who took an innocent life. The bandit hefted his axe, but Ike in a burst of speed dashed forward and beheaded the nasty bandit with a clean horizontal swipe through his neck. He did not stop there though; he wanted these murderers to pay!

Without thinking, Ike ran forward, intent on avenging the innocent people. However, he lost sight of the most important thing in a battle; a clear head. He charged forward, and slashed the bandit on his arm, who in return howled in pain. The leader of the bandits came forward with an axe slash, one that's easily avoidable, if you're in the right state of mind. However, Ike wasn't.

The axe scored a direct hit down his side, blooding gushing out of the large gash as he was thrown down several feet away. He grabbed his side in pain as he tried to stand on his feet, to no avail. The brigand gave a wide laugh of mockery, savoring the sight of Ike being heavily injured. After he stopped gloating, he came forward to finish what he started, and Ike feared the worst. As the brigand approached him, he closed his eyes, thinking of how he could get out of this. Then, the axe came down…

A clang was heard, and Ike opened his eyes to see Titania holding the bandit at bay. She pushed back with her axe, throwing the bandit off balance before rushing him. Before he could retaliate, she gave him a diagonal slash from his shoulder down to his hip, dropping him down to the ground, dead.

"Ike!" Titania yelled, dismounting her horse. She pulled out a few vulneraries to close Ike's wound, then helped him up, and gave him some stitches that she kept on her horse just in case. She wasn't too well versed in healing, so it was rather sloppy, but it would last until he got to Rhys. She lent her hand out to Ike, who took it, and trudged to get his sword that he would use as support walk up to the female warrior. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly, now that all of the bandits were wiped out. He grunted in response and limped on his own with his sword.

"I'll be fine." At that time everyone started gathering together after the bandits were routed, and saw Ike's condition.

"Woah! Did you cut yourself?" Boyd asked, but was quickly shut down by a glaring Titania.

"The area is clear, and the villagers have given us our rewards," Oscar said, showing their gold which was stashed on his horse. She nodded and helped Ike to her horse. After helping him mount, she did so herself.

"Back to base, everyone, our mission is done."

XXXXX

Upon arrival to the base, Ike was immediately taken to Rhys, who was found in the kitchen putting back the now empty bowl of soup Khimari gave to him in the morning. "Rhys!" Titania called, making the priest turn around. "Oh Titania, how was the mi- Oh goodness!" he walked down to check Ike's condition seeing his bandages red with blood. The wound was mostly stopped, but could easily get infected, especially with it being unattended to by a professional healer.

"I know you may still be ill, but can you help him?" Titania asked. Rhys nodded his head as an affirmative and went to get his staff. Meanwhile, Titania had set the blue haired boy down at the table to be examined. There was not long of a wait, as Rhys was quickly back with his staff and a few other necessary medications he might need.

He touched Ike's injury for a second before the teen hissed at the sudden contact. Without a word, the healer placed his staff right above Ike's side and closed his eyes. Suddenly, the end of the staff let out a warm glow, and the boy's wound magically closed. Rhys then removed the bandages and cleaned the blood away with a towel that he brought with him. The whole process took about a whole ten minutes, give or take a minute or so.

"How do you feel?" Rhys asked after the whole process. Ike cautiously stood up and was surprised that he felt as good as new.

"I feel…like I just got renewed," he commented, before Boyd tried to get two cents in on the situation.

"Ike! You just got done with your first mission! It wasn't as awesome as my first time, but still, congrats!" Oscar snorted in the middle of the comment, and decided to shoot Boyd's ego down.

"Oh, yes, I remember that. You broke your axe and Titania had to give you a spare," he recalled, making his little brother go red in the face as everyone laughed at him.

"Why, Oscar!?" the axe wielder yelled as he became the victim of everyone's laughing.

XXXXX

After the mission, Khimari was sent out to find Rolf and Mist and tell them to come back. It was somewhat difficult to find them because their scent was masked by flowers, but overall he still found them rather quickly. They were at the pond where the big group of lilies grows. That was sort of their "little garden," so to speak. "Mist! Rolf!" Khimari called, making the youngest two look at their brother figure.

"Hey, Khimari!" Mist called as the Laguz came down closer to the two. "Need anything?"

"No it's just late, and you need to come back to the base."

"Oh, okay," Mist then suddenly jumped back down to the base of the pond, surprising Khimari. His curiosity was explained shortly thereafter when Mist came back with a necklace of sorts made out of red and blue flowers, Khimari's two favorite colors. "Happy anniversary!" she yelled, leaving the Laguz stupefied and utterly flabbergasted. 'Boys,' she thought as she sighed, knowing she would have to explain herself to the Laguz.

"It's been ten whole years since we met, silly!" she explained, and something clicked in Khimari's head.

"Oh, right," he said, even though his head had different thoughts. 'This crazy girl doesn't even remember the first day we met, or what day we met, for that matter.'

"Thanks Mist, I can't believe it's been ten years already."

"Well, it is, so you remember!"

"Okay," he said, with a drop of sarcasm in his voice that went unnoticed with the two younger teens. "Well, thanks, you guys, but we still need to come on to the base." With that, he led the two young ones to the base, wondering about anything he could in his head. Before long, the trio made it to the base to be greeted by Shinon, who was standing outside of the base working on a new bow. Inside his mind, Khimari oh so wished he could tear the smug bastard into shreds, but Greil had done an admittedly good job keeping the two from getting into a fight for death.

"Hey, it's Shinon!" Rolf said, and ran forward to greet the man, much to the suspicion of Khimari, since they have been talking to each other a lot more, and it was simply creepy. The red-headed sniper simply gave Rolf a nod before focusing his eyes on the Laguz.

"So how was the mission, sub-human? Did the little pet get a flee?" he taunted. Khimari was ready to snap his neck then, but kept his calm in front of the two children.

"No, in fact, it was easy. Too easy, to be honest. Maybe I should get some new prey," he rebutted, showing his sharp rows of teeth and slitting his eyes at Shinon, who was slightly unnerved at the sight of the wolf Laguz's dual colored eyes staring at him, though he wouldn't admit it. Instead, he just went back to his bow.

"Tsk. Just go inside, you dumb mutt," he said, not having much of a comeback for that. Said "mutt" just smirked and went inside to see that dinner was being served, and as usual Ike was chowing down and having an eating contest with Boyd, while Titania could only shake her head at their block-headedness.

With an eye roll, he went to Oscar to retrieve his own food, and he was the only one justified to eat the amount he eats because he can transform into a 170 pound wolf, give or take a few pounds. After he got his food, he sat down next to the "chow kings," and started to eat himself. Now, his table manners were a lot better than Ike's were, but he was still a rather messy and fast eater. Today Oscar cooked fish that they caught earlier last week, and he thought to use them before they spoiled. Like all of his food, it came out stunningly amazing, and twenty minutes later everyone was full, except for the four appetites that come in the form of Ike, Boyd, Khimari, and Greil, who were all on their 8th plate. A few plates later and the bottomless pits that were presumed to be stomachs were filled, and Greil rose from his chair at the head of the table to make an announcement.

"To all of you, I commend you on today's mission performance. The two rookies have proved that they can hold their own in this company, and their first mission has reflected that. As a reward, you guys can take a few days off, and most likely Rhys will be joining you on your next mission," he concluded, to the hidden gratefulness of the somewhat embarrassed the two blue-headed teens. With his announcement done, he left to his room, signaling it was time for everyone else to start wrapping up as well.

Everyone brought their plates to the back in the kitchen and dropped them in the sink for Oscar to clean, and returned to their respective rooms, leaving Ike and Khimari to their own devices. Walking into the room, they went to their own beds, and Khimari transformed into a wolf as he jumped on his bed. Ike always wondered why the wolf always liked staying in that form more, and decided to ask.

"Hey, why do you sleep in your transformed state? Isn't it hot?"

"No, it's actually pretty comfortable," a slightly gruffer voice said, startling Ike a little bit.

"You can talk when you're transformed?" he asked, getting a snort from the fellow blue-head.

"Well, I'm not a psychic," he cheekily replied, making Ike's eye twitch; it was always easy for that Laguz to get under someone's skin, and he would just be so calm as the person affected would go on a miniature rampage. It was then he noticed a red and blue flower circle on top of his brother's bed.

"Flowers? Did Mist give them to you for an anniversary?" Ike asked exasperatedly. The wolf turned his head in surprise, wondering how he knows Mist gave it to him.

"How did you know?" The beorc's response was to pull up another string of flowers, this time blue and white.

"She gave it to me… Something about the first mission anniversary…" he said, still apparently confused. Khimari and Ike just came to a conclusion that girls are crazy about anniversaries. The talked for a little but longer before they were overcame by sleep.

A/N: That's a wrap! If anyone is wondering why I'm so late, it's because of family loss, and the funeral was a few days ago. That and, they are starting to give us even more work at school. Seriously, we have to read the WHOLE CONSTITUTION! Now, is that some BS, or is that just me? I'm in 8th grade, and I'm not going to be in any type of law position, and I sure as heck ain't readin' no doggone constitution! But anyway, rant aside, this is THE largest chapter so far in any story I've wrote, with 4K+ words, and I'll try to update on a more steady schedule, like maybe twice a month, or even try to get three in a month. Lastly, the usual, I hope you enjoyed! Remember to Fave, Follow, and Review, and do not be afraid to review, as that helps me get suggestions and fix things for my writing!

Blizzard, Out!


	5. Operation:Rescue

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it. (I really need to start copying and pasting this from my earlier chapters…)

A/N: Hey folk, here is the fifth installment of Blue Wolf! Kick back, read, and make sure you enjoy it!

Hm...=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

 _Hmmm…=Ancient Language/exaggeration/time skip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamotapeia/I'm done…_

 _War kills love, yet love kills war. What is the true ending of the cycle of humanity? - A random sentence I came up with._

 _A few days later…_

Another few days have passed since Ike and Khimari's first mission, which ended up a success for the two rookie mercenaries. Greil had decided to give them a full day off before inducting them into the full mercenary cycle, and their next mission was likely to be either tomorrow or the day after.

That being said, Ike and Khimari are in the field sparring, as it is a little past noon judging by the sun's position in the radiant blue sky. Heavy grunting could be heard from Ike, sweat gathering from his forehead, who was facing off against the seemingly impossible to beat beast Laguz calmly standing in front of him with a bored look. Refusing to be defeated so easily by his surrogate brother, Ike charged forward again, his sword meeting Khimari's unsheathed paw, only to still be overpowered and sent to the ground by a headbutt immediately after.

Ike eventually gave up after being knocked down for the umpteenth time, just lying on his back watching the little, white, fluffy clouds pass on by in the pleasant sky. "Man, how are you so tough in battle?" the Beorc asked to his sparring partner, who was now laying on all fours next to him.

"Maybe I'm just awesome," the wolf jokingly boasted. "Besides, your speed could use a lot of work," the Laguz advised, much to the ire of the person lying next to him, who came to a sitting position after the comment was said.

"Hey, at least my hits mean something! Yours are softer than flowers!" Ike said, knowing that he had more brute strength of the two, not counting his surrogate brother's transformed state. Said wolf responded to the comment to a strong puff of his nose and a snarky comment, like usual.

"Do you _want_ me to use my teeth and claws?" Ike paled, having a slight fear of those teeth ever since he saw Khimari hunt down a rabbit for a dare. The blood oozing out of that poor rabbit's snapped neck gave the boy nightmares, especially considering he was eight, and the was the first time that he knows of seeing something dead and bloody. He always did wonder how his best friend could take killing the animal so easy. Khimari always responded with the same answer of, "It's nature, and I just go along with it."

"Well, anyways," the wolf said, breaking the small silence. "Mist and Rolf have been gone longer than they should have, and we told them to meet us here to keep an eye on them. Maybe we should look for the young cubs, right?"

Ike did think about it for a second, as it wasn't entirely too rare for Mist to get carried away with the time for a while, before being reminded by Rolf that they need to go. However, it was better to be safe than sorry, especially knowing that there are many people out there who wouldn't be entirely kind to the two young teenagers. "I'll go back to the base, meanwhile, you try to track their scent," Ike directed. Nodding his head, Khimari stood on all fours and took a whiff of the air, catching a faint scent of the two kids whose smells were masked by flowers, as usual.

He did manage to catch a scent trail though, and went into the woods while Ike trekked back to the base, the two using the divide-and-conquer method to find the missing kids. On Khimari's path, the wolf wasn't surprised to see that the scent led to the flower bed where they usually frolic about, although what was surprising was that Mist and Rolf was nowhere to be found in sight. Even more unsettling than before, Khimari discovered that there was an unknown scent found where the two kids usually were. Instantly put on edge, he rapidly crawled along the forest bed, seeking the owner of the scent that intertwined with the youngest two of the company. In the middle of his search, he was still scent-tracking when he was stopped in his tracks by a _very_ familiar voice.

"Let me go! You're not gonna get away with this!" Khimari's ears perked up, recognizing that voice as… Mist! Blasting forward with a sense of urgency, he ran forward as fast as he could before stopping behind a thicket to see what was unfolding. He arrived to the site of Mist and Rolf with a bunch of bandits! Ike's little sister was kicking and screaming as she was being dragged to a shack by a bandit, hands restricted by a piece of badly tied rope. It took everything he had not to burst out of his hiding spot when Mist was thrown into the shack in the back along with Rolf, who was already in the shack at the back of the rocky clearing.

After they locked the shack, the bandit which Khimari assumed to be the leader was conversing with another bandit from the troop, who was panting tiredly from running to a long distance and back at a spectator's glance. "Did you give them the letter?" the leader asked. The subordinate gave a hearty laugh, before giving him the answer.

"Yah, Ikanau, I gave it to a guy, since our red-headed knight wasn't there. Ain't no worries, tho! She should see it within the next hour or so," he relayed to the boss, now identified as Ikanau. "Oh another thing, about the guy in the hood with the sword that was in Caldea," he started again, Khimari's ears perking up at the mention of him. "That guy is one of those sub-human monstrosities! Someone saw him with a tail!" he finished, making both the bandit leader and Khimari go pale.

"What! If he's with those other mercenaries, we're done! We can't beat that beast of a thing!" Ikanau shouted, while thoughts in Khimari's head were whirling at a hundred miles an hour, and a cold weight in his stomach dropped at the bandit's next words.

"Don't worry boss, it seems that the regular commonfolk hate the beasts as much as we do!" he said, as he held up a purple weapon that made the wolf's blood go cold. It was a Laguz Axe, an axe with special properties that Laguz can be easily killed against, as it is imbued with special magic that causes significantly more damage to targets identified as Laguz, beast, bird or dragon regardless. It seemed that the leader realized that as well, as Ikanau gave a great victorious laugh as he took the weapon from his subordinate's hand.

"Nice one, lade'. I knew you'd be a useful one to keep around!" he laughed, being joined by said minion. Khimari immediately left at breakneck speed, trying to get back to the base as fast as possible.

XXXXX

 _Meanwhile…_

Rhys was currently looking for Titania to deliver after the fort was visited by a strange man who came to him with a letter, saying "please give this to the red-tressed knight," something that seemed even stranger. That was the reason for his current hunt for the deputy commander, to give her the letter from the man, even visiting all of the other members of the Greil Mercenaries for an idea of where she could be. With their advice, he checked all of Titania's hangouts, only to end up finding no-one. His search continued until he finally found the red-head outside of the fort, dismounting her horse. "Oh, Titania, there you are!" Rhys said, silently thanking Ashera for the end of his strenuous search. Apparently, his wariness showed, as Titania came to his side, worried about the healer who just a few days ago got out of bedrest.

"Rhys, you look a bit shaky, are you sure you should be out of bed right now?" she prodded.

"It's nothing to be concerned about, it's just that I've been in bed for ten days, anybody's legs would be hard-headed after a long time without use like that," he replied, considering it was true, and the search hadn't been too much of anymore strain on his somewhat small legs.

"If that's it, then that's good. We all know, you're the only healer we have on the field, making your safety a top priority. In mercenary life, even-"

"The smallest lapse invites death, yes? I am well aware, and I give my apologies to the group of my absence," he interjected, all too familiar with the law of the mercenary. He never did like violence, as everyone knows, and chose the path of a healer to follow in Ashera's footsteps by healing lives, not taking them. In his small apology, Titania noticed the letter in his hand, and was naturally curious, oblivious to the fact that it was actually meant for her.

"Why is that letter in your hand? If you need it to be delivered, I wouldn't mind dropping it of when I go into town a little later." Her confusion grew quite a bit when Rhys held his hand out with the letter to Titania.

"Actually, the letter is for you," he explained, as Titania looked in the letter.

'I wonder why anyone would need to send a letter to me…' the woman thought.

"A man came earlier when I was out who said to "give this to the red-haired knight," he mentioned, and was confounded when he saw Titania's face morph expressions to one of horror. Dropping the letter, she immediately ran back and mounted on her horse, ready to leave.

"Rhys, call the other mercenaries immediately and gather them until I return! If you need to find Ike and Khimari, you can send Oscar, he knows their usual hangout." He got no chance for a response as she was already nearly out of sight, riding her white horse as fast as its four legs could gallop.

"What in the world was on that letter?" Rhys wondered to himself as he picked up the letter, and was shock was the only word to describe his feelings as he read the letter.

 _To the red-haired knight or the one in the robe,_

 _We want revenge for your blow to us by killing our brother Zawana back in Caldea, so we decided to pay you back by takin' your two little brats! If you wanna see 'em again, you might wanna come here and meet us face to face!_

 _Kirono Bandits_

 _P.S: We know about your little sub-human friend. Send him along with the Red-head. We have something…special for him…_

As startled as he was, Rhys could not avoid giving up to being in a stupor in a time that could determine two lives very dear to everyone. With an extreme sense of urgency, he ran as fast as his two legs could to take him and slammed open the brother's room where the triplets slept. "Everyone, to the main hall, NOW! Get your gear ready!" he basically screamed as loud as he could, which shocked, well, everyone in the room. Rhys was usually the quietest one in the company next to Soren, and seeing him in such a state definitely inspired the two to put some pep in their step.

In five minutes flat, Oscar and Boyd were in the room, prepared for battle, as well as wondering what happened to put the healer in such a mood. As fortunate as it was, Ike came inside the fort breathing heavily, as he ran straight to the base, confusing others even more. "Has anyone seen Rolf or Mist? They should have been back a long while ago," he said, and stopped seeing Rhys' crestfallen and worried look on his face.

"That's why I called them-Mist and Rolf have been kidnapped by bandits!" he said, distressed and rightfully so. Ike snapped to action the fastest raising his steel sword, which was on the nearby table next to the wooden sparring sword.

"What are we waiting for! We need to get them!" Ike shouted, before he was stopped by Oscar, who read the letter thoroughly.

"It's the bandits we drove off in Caldea-they want revenge, and they want Titania…and Khimari," he added, perking everyone's face up. What would they want with the blue-haired Laguz? "They know he's a Laguz, and the letter was for him and Titania, to lure them out using the two as hostages. Cowards!" he seethed.

"Blast!" Ike cursed, while trying to dash out of the base, only to be stopped by Boyd's hand grabbing his arm.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"What does it look like? I'm going to get my sister!" Ike retorted, his face filled with unbridled rage.

"Hold on, Ike. Titania told us to wait here for further instructions," Rhys informed the group, earning a scoff from the commander's son.

"While they have Mist? I'm not staying here waiting for nothing!" With that, Ike ran out of the base, closely followed by Boyd.

"Hey, wait rookie! I have to go with you to get Rolf!" That left only Rhys and Oscar, and Rhys looked at Oscar with sympathetic eyes.

"Oh dear. I…I have to go with them, Oscar," the priest decided apologetically, before rushing out on his own to meet the two hot-headed boys. Oscar himself could only shake his head at their blatant disregard of orders.

"They're going to disrespect the deputy commander like that? I guess I have no choice…" Mounting his horse with his spear ready, Oscar also left the base to join the remaining boys in their ragtag rescue operation. Not before leaving a note to Titania about them leaving, of course. With that, he headed off to the group, only to discover that they stopped at a crossroad, not knowing which direction to take. Ike and Boyd were bickering about what direction to go in, while Rhys was trying to mediate the tension between the two teenagers.

"Both of you, this, isn't a time to be fighting." Oscar just sighed seeing them in a predicament. It looked like something straight out of a drama play.

"Figures I would come to see you all like this," he said, gaining the attention and surprise of the two stubborn hot-heads, as voiced by Boyd.

"You guys are coming with us, knowing you're disobeying Deputy Titania's orders? What is the world coming to?" he remarked with a roll of his eyes.

"Oscar, do you know which way to go?" Ike asked, ignoring Boyd's remark. Oscar nodded in confirmation to the question.

"The bandit stronghold where they're most likely to be found is on the left." Before Oscar could explain further, Ike muttered his appreciation while he took off to the left in hot pursuit of his sister's kidnappers. Boyd, frustrated at being ignored, yelled at Ike while the boy was nearly already out of sight.

"Hey, I was still talking! I need to finish wha-," he started before once again being ignored by those who were talking at the same time he was. He turned back to see Oscar running in Ike's direction, staff in hand.

"Come on Oscar! You need to come too!" He yelled as he ran down the road. Oscar, seeing no way to change the minds of the two who already left, just once again shook his head.

"I guess I have no choice," he muttered to himself, leaving to follow the others, and making Boyd the only one there still at the fork in the road. The middle brother quickly saw that he was being left and hurriedly ran along the past after Oscar, who was gaining speed and distance from his younger brother by the second.

"Hey, wait for me!" he shouted, running along in their footsteps comically, even in the dire situation that occurred to them. Before long, they came to a clearing with a good number of rocky hillsides, though they were really too big. The real worry factor here was the lone bandit standing on one of the hills, apparently waiting for the ragtag group. Another eye catcher was the giant purple axe he wielded, which no one really had much of an idea about, with the exception of Oscar who couldn't quite remember what the weapon is, having seen it before.

"Hmm," the brigand started, seeing as the mercenaries stopped right in front of him. "Only the boys came here, eh? Where's the red-haired witch and the sub-human?" Everyone was put on edge even more about the bandit wondering, or even knowing Khimari's whereabouts.

"Titania and Khimari aren't here, and it really isn't much of your business to know their whereabouts," Ike retorted. "Besides, even if they were here, those two could tear you to shreds, _literally_. Anyways, where's Mist and Rolf, and are they safe?" The bandit gave a hefty laugh in response to Ike's extreme attitude of coldness to worry for the little runts they took.

"Heh, your brats are safely held in that ol' shack back there, so don't worry-we just came here for revenge and money. We want the witch, her pups and the half-breed, but they ain't here, so we'll just clean house with you guys until they come!"

By now, everyone was pretty much fed up with the bandit leader's mind games, and wanted their little siblings back. "Hey, we're here aren't we! So just let them go!" Boyd demanded, already sour about being ignored and having his little brother locked in a shack, kidnapped by bandits.

"Fine, be impatient if you want to," the man said. "Cleaning house will be just that much funner," he finished with a savage grin, before raising his purple axe and swinging it in a downward motion. "Come on out, boys, it's time to give the pups a playdate!" Before the group could even register what happened, they were surrounded by brigands from nearly every direction, while the leader just laughed out in sadistic pleasure at his thoughts of the oncoming slaughter. "Without Reddy and the sub-human, they're nothin'!" he yowled, creating a chorus of approval from the lackeys that cornered the four boys.

Boyd as usual, couldn't help but try to redeem himself as soon as someone mocked his fighting skills. "Keep saying that, and we're gonna make you wish you were a baby, dirtbag!" he retaliated, going straight into insulting.

"You're going to regret doing this!" Ike yowled at the leader, who simply laughed and retreated to the back of the bandit army, taking rest in front of the shack where Rolf and Mist were.

XXXXX

 _In the shack…_

After having their hands released from the rope as they were thrown in, Mist and Rolf remain locked in captivity, and they are clearly distressed. Mist is worried of course, but Rolf crying in the corner like a newborn baby definitely wasn't helping the situation at all. "Hey Rolf, perk up! Boys don't cry!" she tried to motivate him, and the only thing in succeeded in doing was reducing the boy's crying to sniffling.

"But…I'm scared…" he said, not ashamed to admit he was pretty much spooked about the current situation that the two were in. "Aren't you scared, too?" Mist, the optimistic person of the group, did her best to get rid of this negative energy through comfort and words of hope.

"Well, of course I'm scared, we just got kidnapped. But I know my brother will be here any minute now to come rescue us, and you know it!" That seemed to snap Rolf out of his trance as he realized that his own brothers would do whatever it takes to keep him out of trouble like this.

"Yeah!" he agreed, suddenly a lot more upbeat than before. "And my brothers will be right there next to him!"

"I know they will, believe it! So no more crying, got it?" The boy nodded his head in agreement, a great deal of a better mood than he just was a minute ago.

XXXXX

Khimari was running in a straight line in the base to warn the others about Mist and Rolf's kidnapping, but was mystified when no one was there at all. In fact, their scents that were slightly receding told that all of them left a short while, maybe a half hour ago at the latest. He was about to go back out to search again when a letter on the table got his attention. Reverting back to his two-legged form, the wolf read the letter, and at the end his eyes became slits as a sharp set of claws tore through the paper. Immediately retransforming back into Laguz form, he basically leapt out of the base in pure anger as his primal instincts to protect the pack set in, especially after he saw the second paper to Titania that they had left without her. 'If they want me, so be it. I'll make them regret living!'

Little did he know, said red-haired knight was watching him run at top speed in confusion, before reading the small letter Oscar left to her when she walked back in the front entrance, which led her to following the Laguz at her top speed to prevent the wolf from doing something particularly dangerous to himself, or the others who disobeyed her explicit orders.

As for the wolf, who did not notice the speeding horse that was failing to keep up with him, he immediately trekked back to the way Oscar mentioned in his letter, and ran down the left fork of the dirt road. His words rang true as the smell and sound of metal striking in his nose and ears respectively grew stronger by the second. His senses would not be deceiving him, as he arrived to the clearing which he saw earlier, this time being overtaken by battle between the bandits and the four mercenaries on the way. He himself was about to jump into the fray, when he saw Rhys who was on the verge of being attacked by a myrmidon who was in hiding.

With a speed that startled even him, he pounced on the unsuspecting sword wielder, sending both of them rolling on the ground. As he took a second so shake the dirt and small rocks off his fur coat, the myrmidon also reclaimed the sword that was thrown out of his hand and faced his attacker, running forward to attack.

It was a massacre, the myrmidon didn't even get a chance to deliver two swings of his sword before he fell to the ground with a long gash on his arm, and long deep marks along his spine. With that nuisance taken care of, he went to check on Rhys, who seemed to be fine aside from the fact that he was somewhat sick to the sight of large amounts of blood. He was able to greatly reduce that small case of hemophobia, though, as it was a common sight being in a mercenary group. After being checked by Khimari to see if he was fine, he offered himself as Rhys' temporary guard until the end. "Where are the others?"

"They have all gone through the main majority of the bandits in an attempt to get to the shack, Oscar told me to assume a safe distance to avoid any chance of being attacked, when the swordsman sneaked out of a thicket. If you hadn't been there…" he trailed off, making the explanation that much more clear. In affirmation, Khimari nodded his head before beckoning Rhys to follow him with his tail. It appears that Rhys was a major target after all, because about maybe a little less than two minutes later, they were surrounded by some more bandits, and Ike, Boyd and Oscar could be seen just a little more ahead, on the hill near the shack.

There were six bandits surrounding the healer and Laguz, but Khimari was the only one who could fight back. The only real was to do this in a way that would ensure Rhys' safety was a big diversion…

Thankfully, that need was fulfilled when a bandit fell down after a hand axe was embedded in his head. Another bandit was quickly killed by Titania, who came in on her white horse, determined to keep her group members safe from harm. With the first two dead, Khimari leaped into action as well, quickly slicing the throat of a bandit, before throwing himself onto the back of another. A killing bite ensured that he went down, when he felt a sense of danger behind him. He quickly jumped to the left, avoiding an axe strike that would have sliced him down the down the middle, and gave the bandit what he tried to do, with his claws stabbed into his stomach.

Just then, Titania handled the last bandit, and with a silent exchange of words through eye contact, moved forward with Rhys, finding that all of the bandits have been routed, with the exception of the boss and about two of his closest minions. When they arrived to the scene, the two groups seemed to have a stare down, neither the boys or the bandits doing a thing. That ended when Ikanau, the leader, caught sight of Khimari, and he let out a sudden boisterous laughter, much to the confusion of everyone but said Laguz and Titania, well aware of that axe and its special properties.

"Hey, it's the sub-human!" the leader yelled. "Hey little kitty, come here so I can gut you out and fetch you a good price from Daein. Last I heard, they gave hefty prices of gold to people with dead monstrosities like you," he taunted, and it almost worked, before Khimari was held back by Titania at the last second, and she was shortly joined by Boyd who together managed to keep the Laguz stationary and out of harm's way. Titania did feel guilty for it, but in her years of experience, in Gallia she did find out in battle Laguz will sometimes start to lose all sense and become killing machines until their target is dead-no matter the risk.

As they restricted the wolf, Ike and Oscar double teamed Ikanau and his subordinate, as the other one ran away, seemingly. "So you think you common sellswords can beat me? Hah, let's see you try!" Rushing toward Ike like a lumbering badger, the bandit leader swung his axe at Ike, only to be dodged and rewarded with a light cut on his arm. Ikanau hissed in pain but continued his assault nonetheless.

One strike came where Ike had no choice but to block, and the sheer strength of Ikanau's blow, along with the weight of the axe he was carrying was simply ridiculous, forcing Ike back almost instantaneously. Ike never was one to back down from a challenge, however, especially when lives were on the line. He pushed the bandit back until Ikanau lost his balance, giving Ike a chance for a decisive blow. He took the opportunity and shoved the blade through his stomach, felling the bandit leader once and for all. "Out…done…by s-sell…swords…" were Ikanau's last words, with another tainted soul departed from this world. Their celebration was held back as the henchman that ran away soon was back with a look of insanity in his eyes, along with Mist in a chokehold.

"Drop your weapons, NOW! Or else, I'll spill this girl's guts!" he threatened, holding an axe right at Mist's stomach, inches away from cleaving her open.

"Ike , HELP!" Mist yelled, and before he could utter a response, the other bandit came out holding Rolf by the same way as Mist. This only made the mercenaries even more prone to attack to rescue their little siblings.

"I said DROP your weapons!" the man yowled again. This time there was silence, as a clang of metal hitting the ground was heard. Everyone looked back to see Titania with her weapons on the ground, and all were shocked that she would surrender.

"See? My weapon is on the ground. Everyone, lower your weapons. That's an order." Everyone was baffled, but they still complied with the deputy commander, as the firmness in her voice left no room for back talk, lest they suffer extreme consequences. They grumbled as they dropped their weapons to the ground as well, leading the bandits to laugh in victory.

"Smart move, wench," the bandit holding Mist said, before tightening his grip around Mist. "You're all unarmed, so you can watch your precious little brats die! Haha!" the bandit screamed, pulling the axe back, poised to kill Mist.

"IIIKEE!" Mist hollered, in complete and utter fear, not knowing what to do as her life flashed before her eyes.

… _Splat_. Mist wondered what happened, as the axe ready to split her in two suddenly stopped. As well as the bandit next to her, as the two dropped down to the ground, dead, in perfect sync. When she looked at the dead brigands, the first thing she saw was…an arrow? She didn't have time to ponder this, as another thump was heard, and she whirled around to see Rolf on the ground. Boyd, being the big brother he is, immediately came to his brother, hefting him up in his arms.

"Mist, is Rolf alright?" the fighter asked, knowing that only Mist was with the mint-headed boy the whole time.

"He's fine," she answered somewhat dismissively.

"Well, whatever the matter," Oscar interjected, "The main point is that you're alive and well. You both were so brave." Mist seen to shine at the praise given by the eldest of the three brothers.

"Thanks, Oscar!"

"Who shot the arrow, though?" Ike asked, his eyes dead set on the piercing arrow that saved his sister's life. His question was soon answered by a voice that everyone knew all too well, and one that Khimari detested with a passion.

"A single shot- right between the eyebrows! Who else could do a feat as skillful as that? No one, that's who!" the voice said, directing everyone's attention towards a bush, where another red-headed person with hair in a ponytail appeared through. "You're welcome to thank me for saving the runts' lives, anytime ya know," he boasted in his usual condescending tone. A heavy sound of armor was being heard soon after, and a knight; his name was Gatrie, came out of the woods with his usual blue-clad armor worn.

"Deputy Commander… Shinon… why are you so cruel to me…" the clearly sweaty and exhausted knight said to the two.

"Dang, man, you look like you did a jog around the whole continent," Khimari, now in his normal state, added, only adding to the blonde knight's misery. The wolf then caught a scent that seemed to come from Mist, and it smelled a lot like…'Did she just literally crap her pants…er, skirt?' Ike of course, was oblivious to this, which was understandable considering his little sister just got out of a near-death experience, and were now having their own little talk.

"Well, Mist, what matters is that you're all right," Ike said. "I guess you were pretty scared, huh?" he taunted, trying, and succeeding in getting a rise out of his little, yet gullible sister.

"Nope, I was always the optimist! I knew you were coming and I never worried through the whole time!" she denied childishly.

"Wow, really? That's a great deal better than how you usually go nose-running and sobbing, isn't it?"

"Jerk! My nose…doesn't run!" she once again tried to deny. Just then, Khimari got an idea, and walked up to Mist before cupping his hands over her ear, before whispering something to her.

"I know your nose may or may not run, but you may want to change clothes when you get back," he whispered, and laughed so hard his gut hurt at Mist's face. The girl's face was redder than a tomato, and she instantly straightened up so fast, along with the facial expression not very different from a person with extreme constipation. As Khimari was rolling on the grassy ground, Ike could only look in wonder of what his surrogate brother said to have Mist, who is usually just as proud and bull-headed as him, to get into such a state. Fortunately for the brown-haired medallion carrier, Titania had deemed it time to return to the base, as this experience is one that definitely wasn't going away anytime soon.

She sighed, at the recollection of all day's events. 'I could use a day off…Maybe I'll talk with Greil one day.'

"All right!" she said, gaining everyone's rapt attention. "Today has been…quite an interesting day, but it's time to return home. Nobody denied what she said, as it was very true, and everyone, now Mist and the currently conscious Rolf as well, would embark on the return trip home...

XXXXX

After the kidnapping incident happened, it didn't take long for everything to go back to the way it usually was. Boyd was being supervised by Titania to do practice swings when they returned, seeing as he made a few VERY sloppy strikes during the mission. Oscar was in the kitchen, and was nearly done with his legendary stew recipe that always captivated everyone's hearts through their stomachs, while Mist and Khimari helped the green-haired cook with the table and the dishes. It was nearly evening by then, and before long, dinner was served, and everyone was there, except Greil, who seemed to have been caught up with doing something while out.

As usual, everyone loved Oscar's cooking; and he was asked by Mist for what must have been the thousandth time for the recipe. "The recipe is always a desire to cook, and a desire to learn from cooking," was his very wise, yet somewhat confusing response.

"Hey, does anyone know what that purple axe was, the one that the leader guy had? It looked awesome," Boyd commented, which was actually something everyone forgot amidst the turmoil going on. Titania, ever the knowledgeable one, was able to fill the company in on what the axe was.

"That weapon is known as a Laguz Axe. Its namesake comes from the fact that it's imbued with special magic that increases damage done to Laguz." Then of course, Shinon, the Laguz hater, had to add his two cents in.

"One of the best types of weapons made, yes. I've seen them work magic against those Sub-human things. I wonder if they have those weapons for bows…" he trailed off, leaving a growling Khimari. His growling was met with a smirk from the smug sniper. "Did I make the wittle puppy angry?" he said in a baby voice, which only accomplish making him angrier.

"This "whittle" puppy is about to shove its claws up your-"

"Khimari!" Titania hissed, obviously not the most pleased at him nearly saying something rather… vulgar in front of the two kids. "If you want to kill each other, than just wait…actually, just don't kill each other," she amended, knowing that they actually would have a battle to the death one day if permitted. Khimari at least had the decency to look at least a little embarrassed at the reprimand, but Shinon simply scoffed and went back to his stew.

The rest of supper went on like regularly, with the modest conversation as usual, unfortunately usual also comes with the occasional vague death quote battle between Khimari and Shinon, which while somewhat childish, was undeniably entertaining to the rest of the group. Before long, mealtime was over, and everyone returned to their quarters except for Oscar, Mist, and Khimari, who all have the daunting task of dish duty for tonight. With only ten people, Greil included, in the company, it doesn't exactly make sense why dish duty is such a hassle. However, when you consider that nearly half of the group can eat nearly two, in some cases three times their body weight in food, the dish pile-up was simply ridiculous (wait 'till Ilyana comes through the door…).

A good while later, when the dark of night was in full bloom, Greil finally came home, and the only three still awake were Oscar, Khimari, and Titania, as the first two aforementioned took over Mist's part when her bedtime came. His eyes were on Khimari the second he walked through the door, and it was very unnerving to see Greil's stare at him. Nonetheless, Khimari and Oscar finished the dishes, and they went down to have a good night's sleep, until the blue wolf was called.

"Khimari," Greil said, catching the wolf's attention even though the Laguz was already nearly halfway down the hallway. "Come here." Hearing the tone in his voice, Khimari went back with a good bit more speed than on the way to his room. Once he was sure that no one besides Titania could hear the conversation, he started.

"Start packing, because I have a mission for you," he said bluntly, much to the Laguz's confusion. His face was still serious as he explained the details of the mission, showing a letter and a map of Tellius, "Today, while in town, I was given a letter from a Crimean messenger, as our company is of some standard with the higher-ups of Crimea." Khimari nodded, knowing about Titania and Oscar's connections with the Royal Guard of Crimea, it would be logical to come to this company about something.

"There have been reports of increasingly violent border skirmishes with Daein. Now, skirmishes aren't entirely rare, but the rapid intensity of them as well as the brutality of Daein has worried the empire. They are on edge, as an invasion is definitely possible, heck, it could happen tomorrow for all everyone knows," he added, still confusing Khimari until Greil handed him a scroll with a letter in it.

"Early tomorrow morning, you are to leave to the capital of Gallia, and deliver that to the King, Caineghis as soon as possible. The reason I chose you was because you are able to cross the most distance out of nearly every person here in Crimea, as well as the fact that you will be more likely to be accepted due to you being a Laguz." The Laguz nodded, satisfied, and listened for one last piece of information from Greil.

"Here is a map of Tellius, to make sure you don't get lost, and it would be hard to get lost as it basically is just a straight trip south of here. The thick forests and hot climate can be annoying, but as a Laguz, you probably would be more welcoming to the climate change than others. Now go get some sleep, you got a big journey ahead of you." Khimari nodded, and went back to his and Ike's room before doing his usual transformation and circling his bed three times before laying down on his bed, thoughts running rampant in his mind.

These next few days were definitely going to be more interesting…

 **AN: And that's that! Now I know it's been exactly ONE month since I last updated, which was March 10, so I technically kept my "two/three chapters a month" rule, but I have to apologize to those who read the story, and wait patiently for the next chapter on account of my procrastination. See, this chapter is NOW the longest one with over 6K words, yet it only took me 9 HOURS (Two days, two sittings) to write, and to be honest, I could have finished at least 3 or 4 more chapters, but I really wasn't in the writing mood, mostly because of school, and the fact that I went on an overnight field trip with my school's band and orchestra (which started before last weekend) and only got back to my computer THURSDAY, which was when I started back writing (well, I started, I actually wrote the chapter on Friday and Saturday), and the sad part is that once I start writing, my brain takes off in a million directions, coming up with multiple scenarios for the story as I right, and it is a major stress-reliever to write this as what you are writing may be a reflection of how you feel, like a form of expression... If I can get my behind off of music for a while and WRITE!**

 **Before I get on to the whole "Art-iste" rant, the point I'm trying to make is, I really need to stop being so tardy, but the good part is I can use advice from those who REVIEW (thank you JohnWolf234), and put in my story to add more…well, like… umm… Attributes that contribute and add to the whole story. I mean, even if you're just too lazy to log on, or you forgot your password (don't be ashamed, it happened to me twice), review as a guest, please! I need to know how I can improve my story, and I will even take some plot suggestions (tbh, that is probably really slim unless it's like…a long way in the future), but the point is, I need to know what I can do as an author to make this story BETTER for YOU!**

 **P.s: I KNOW I came up with a name for the bandits and, it sounds pretty dern cool to me! And, I have reasons for bending the storyline a good bit, as it makes things more interesting, as you're not gonna be bored with the "same thing from the game". The plotline will most likely somehow manage to maintain itself, but it will definitely be bended to the extreme, and in some case, create a completely different scene than what may have happened in the canon games.**

 **Now, have a nice day :P**

 **Edited: 4/15/16**

 **Blizzard**


	6. Shiver me Timbers! (Oh Crackers!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Here you all go, a great chapter with some grrreat dialoguing! Now get your parrots, and hide your booty because this is going to be ARRRR-MAZIN'! (This was not rehearsed)

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done…_

" _A mirror stares right back at us, so we look at ourselves through reflection. The funny thing is, we were never looking at ourselves, we were looking at the mirror."_ -Quote of the chapter

The sun hadn't even come up yet when Khimari awoke. He was never one to sleep much after dawn, but this time it was for a different reason. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he slowly crept out of his and Ike's room, and went straight to the shower. As he was about to experience a different, life-changing trip, he thought about everything that could happen as the warm water hit his back. What would he find in Gallia? He, his mom, and…Volug, he think the one who stayed near his mother at all times was, were the only Laguz he ever remembered, and he hasn't seen either of the two since they were separated. To this day he could not remember how; a memory block, he assumed.

Stepping out of the shower, he took his towel and dried himself off, while thinking the whole time as he put on his clothes and exited the shower room. Grabbing one of the cloaks like the one he wore in Caldea to conceal his Laguz looks, he pulled the hood over his head and got the spare steel sword that was in the armory. Before he departed, he was met by Greil, who was waiting for him at the front entrance, along with his map and letter he was to deliver. "So you're off," Greil said rhetorically. "Be safe, kid," he told the teen, giving him what he needed before Khimari went to the front entrance to leave.

Then, suddenly, he stopped and turned to Greil for a moment. "See ya soon." He then transformed, with the letter and map hanging on his backside, the sash right below his chin, in a place that won't interfere with his moving along the trip. He then ran out of the fort's front clearing, until eventually the blue wolf was no longer seeable from just looking at the base.

While running, Khimari would have to map out his location in advance. Remembering the places on the map, he would have to pass next to the Crimean town of Arbor, and he would go south from there to get to the Gallian capital, Zarzi, where he would deliver the letter. With that in mind, the wolf Laguz kept on his path, trying to avoid seeing Beorc as much as possible while on his way to the forests of Gallia where he would camp out before reaching the capital tomorrow.

The wolf ran on to a new land, and a new adventure, and he could only wonder what he would see when he met other Laguz…like him…

XXXXX

Ike was in front of his father, and he already knew it was time to be punished for his blatant disrespect of Titania's orders. Along with him were Oscar, Boyd, and Rhys, all of whom had a crestfallen and guilty look on their face, in addition to the blue head. After a second of waiting for their undivided attention, Greil began the dreaded reprimand they all predicted to occur.

"Titania told me about the events of yesterday…the kidnappings, and the complete disobeying of Titania's orders," Greil paused in the middle, as Shinon, Gatrie, and Titania entered along with Mist and Rolf. He knew there would definitely be conflict as Mist would stick up for Ike; but he still just thought of it as a good, prideful thing.

"I told everyone to disobey Titania and ran off without thinking," Ike guiltily explained, greatly stretching the truth to the limit, as everyone went on their own free will against the red-haired knight's orders. "I take responsibility for every-"

"Now hold on a second!" Boyd interrupted, standing up in defense of Ike. "You're not being the martyr here! I left here from my own thought, and my own two feet, got it?" He then turned to Greil, determined to make sure Ike didn't take all of the blame. "I'm ready for my punishment, too!" he said, but was completely stopped in his tracks at a blank look from Greil and a slightly admonishing look from Oscar. That second, everything he said just ran through his mind; he had spoken before he actually thought…again.

In defeat, he sat back down and put his head on a table in complete awe of the kind, but overall stupid way he worded what he said. "What spirit in Tellius possessed me to say _that_? I sound almost as clueless as Ike…" he drifted off in a moment of self-pity, and with an offended Ike in the mix of things as well.

He admits, he may not be the brightest, but he _surely_ wasn't the dumbest as long as Boyd was around. Though that comedic crazy train was stopped as Rhys next offered himself up for punishment to defend Ike's actions. "I am the one to blame. Titania gave me her orders directly and explicitly, yet I actively disobeyed them without a single thought of the consequences. If anyone is to be punished, it is me…" He was then supported by Oscar, who was next in the guilt line confession.

"Commander Greil, I have set a poor example for them to follow, and they went down the wrong path. My punishment is alone, as they learned it from me," he confessed, though everyone knew it wasn't true because Oscar was the epitome of a good person.

Greil simply sighed at the row of boys basically offering themselves to punishment, as to defend one another, and it was admirable. Nonetheless, they had blatantly disobeyed a superior's orders, and it could have led to a death, especially if it was as bad as reported from Titania. While they did stick for each other and show great courage facing the kidnappers head on, this disrespect within the ranks is simply intolerable.

"While you are very admirable in trying to remove the blame from your comrades," the leader started, as everyone held their breath at the verdict soon coming to them. "That does not remove the fact that you disobeyed orders from a superior officer. You are all confined to ten days in quarters, outside of training no farther out than the front hill," he decided, standing up to relay more orders, before Mist led an outburst in defense of her rescuers from yesterday.

"Wait, father! They didn't do anything but rescue me and Rolf!" she yelled, clearly against the punishment given to the four mercenaries. Greil was silent in contemplation for a moment, but his response showed that he intended to keep the given sentence.

"Rules are here for a reason, Mist. Soldiers won't survive on the battlefield if they go wherever they please without so much as a by-your-leave," he countered, rounding in on the four who disrespected orders.

"That being said, we have a surplus of work to do today, so your punishment is delayed until further notice." He then turned to the two green-haired brothers, and Rhys. "Boyd, Oscar, Rhys, come with me," he said, leaving outside of the base with a swish of his cape. Titania also decided to give her directions as well.

"Shinon, Gatrie, Ike, come on. You're with me," she said, and the four left the base to do their assignment.

XXXXX

The journey to their mission didn't take very long, and they arrived at Port Talma about a half hour from departure. Upon their arrival, Titania took them to a house to the left, the closest one from the entrance. They were greeted by an old man sitting in a chair right outside of the house. At the sight of the mercenaries, the man stood and went over to greet them.

"Well, hey there lads!" he said. "I assume y'all are the mercenaries?"

"Yes we are," Titania confirmed. "And the ship on the dock is the pirate ship you mentioned, correct?" she asked professionally.

"Aye. They came over from the sea a couple days 'go and have been making trouble ever since. I hope you and your companions can send 'em away." Titania nodded her head in response to the man's kind words.

"I understand, and we will do everything in our power." She then turned to the rest of the mercenary group she had been assigned. "Are you all ready?" she asked, as she did a final run-over preparation before raiding the pirates and driving them out. Shinon scoffed at the question, as he was the best, and always ready in his eyes.

"Fat feathered sea scum ain't as much a challenge as shooting apples from a tree. Let's just get the job done and get out of here," Shinon remarked rudely, and though Titania ignored it yet again, she was getting a good bit fed up with the sniper's selfish and demeaning attitude. Before she got a chance to reprimand, however, Gatrie cut into the conversation with the battle strategy that they were going to implement here.

"Hey, Deputy Titania, you want some old fashioned thunder and lightning maneuvers here?" Gatrie asked, much to the confusion of the blue-haired rookie mercenary who had pretty much been forgotten.

"What…is thunder and lightning?" he cautiously asked, and Gatrie, the much nicer of the duo, answered the curious mercenary.

"It's a big boom! I crash into 'em like thunder, and Shinon rains down arrows down on 'em like lightning!" he, well, boomed.

"Well, that does sound good to me," Titania approved.

"Then what do we do?" Ike asked, but it seemed that Titania had already planned ahead for that question.

"We stay a close distance behind Gatrie and Shinon, and we pick off any leftovers that they miss, or we do a front rush assault with them being our back-up," she answered. "We can also assist them in picking off the enemy's remaining forces after the primary assault," she added, before mounting her horse and turning to where everyone can see her. "Mercenaries, move out!" she said in a charismatic voice, one that even inspired Shinon, if only melting the smallest part of his bitter, twisted soul.

"Ready!" Shinon confirmed, uncharacteristically ready to fight beside his commander, shortly followed by Ike and Gatrie's fellow responses of eagerness.

"Here we go!"

"We've got this!" With that, the fighting quartet quickly headed out into battle, and Shinon and Gatrie started to storm the seafaring pirates with Ike and Titania right by them for support.

XXXXX

She was having the worst week ever right now. First, she was forced to leave the Begnion Royal Guard to search for her sorry excuse of a brother, who got into yet another gambling issue with some bandits and now, apparently pirates. From the leads she got earlier in the week, he was with some pirates when he was last seen, and now she is on a nasty pirate ship with a whole bunch of lusting, smelly pirates.

She was definitely in a pickle…

"Hey, boat monkey!" she yelled at the pirate leader, who turned and looked at the Pegasus Knight, and it took every ounce of self-control she had not to shudder when the rest of the crew started stripping her with their eyes. "You tricked me!" she accused, though the pirate kept his lecherous grin as he replied.

"Tricked ye? Ain't that a mean and vile thing ta be sayin'? Right, matey?" he said to the closest pirate member, most likely the second mate, who obviously was on the same page of his captain.

"Aye, cap'n!" he said, before turning to the pink-dressed knight. "Ain't nothing but sweet and honest pirates on this ship, missy."

"Look, you said that you knew where my brother was. That's the only reason I would ever come near this sorry piece of wood," she rudely remarked, clearly not caring the slightest bit about these hooligans.

"And we told ya right! He was on deck for a while, after… hey, remember where he was, matey?" the leader said, not really caring to know about the whereabouts of her brother. It seemed as though he wasn't very well liked, because the other pirate in the conversation very quickly had a scowl plastered on his face, a complete contrast from the perverted grin from a few moments before.

"Yar, I do know. He was nothin' but a penniless oaf, and always made excuses! That's why we threw him overboard," he finished with a smirk, as if reliving the memory, though the knight could not help but gasp in horror for her brother.

"My...brother? That's just horrid!" she cried, though in the back of her mind she knew that her brother wasn't dead; it was just that sibling sense that they had. The pirate simply scoffed at her pretend worry, clearly in anger over her brother.

"Horrid? Ye say horrid!? Yer scurvy brother was the horrid one! He lost his game o' chance, oh yes he did. If ye lose, ye pay…but that scalawag tried to cheat me! By Chanty Pete, he did!" he said, getting angrier, only to be stopped by the captain, who put a hand on his mate's shouler.

"Calm yarself, me hearty!" he said, and the formerly livid pirate did indeed calm down, though it was obvious that he held a grudge. "Besides," the leader went on, grabbing the attention of both of the people in the conversation once more. "His darling sister came to pay us a nice ol' visit." He then turned to the still mounted Pegasus Knight, grin now in full force. "How 'bout ye work off yer brother's debt?"

"What say I run my lance through your skull and call it a day?" she retorted, ready for battle with the sea goers for her freedom. They didn't take her seriously, though, as the crew on deck started to laugh.

"A little minnow like you ain't nothing compared to us sea dogs. Prepare yourself, ya flyin' wench!" the leader said, and the knight knew she was in serious trouble. The two she had the conversation with stepped back as all of the other crew members on board started the barrage.

The first challenger of the pink-head was a myrmidon, who flew at her with his sword. She wasn't new to fighting, and was a very good knight, so it wasn't very long before he was impaled for the third-and last time. 'This might be easier than I thought,' the knight hoped.

…She wished too soon, as two more pirates came, both wielding axes. She tried to fight the first one, when a light reflected from another axe caught her eye, and she rose on her Pegasus, avoiding a Hand Axe that would have lopped of her arm. The axe came back to the pirate, earning its alternative name's reputation as the "boomerang axe." After dodging that, she was forced to lift her Pegasus once again when the second pirate swung his axe, but the fortune in that was when he overextended himself, which gave her an opportunity.

Seizing it, she dove in and drove her lance into his right arm, creating a large gash that forced him to drop his axe and hold his arm while seething in agony. Before she could make a decisive blow, however, she was once again assaulted by the hand axe that forced her to dodge in order to avoid getting an amputated limb. Once she dodged it, she went back to the wounded pirate and ended it, impaling him right through the stomach.

Though as he went limp, the knight found out the hard way that she had forgot an important factor as the Hand Axe sailed through the air and struck the top of her back, dangerously close to her spine. Screeching in pain, she kicked her Pegasus fiercely, and it flew to an altitude where she would not have to worry about being hit. Grabbing a vulnerary out of her pouch, she used it and felt better, though she knew she had to go to a real healer to completely seal the wound.

Descending once again, she was even more downtrodden as yet another pirate took the place of the one she had just fallen, and it started to seem impossible to get out of the situation. 'Oh, cheesecake, is this the end? Brother… I don't want to die!' she thought, not even knowing how she can overcome this challenge. Praying to Ashera, she prepared to fight on until she stopped drawing breath.

The new pirate who joined the fight, and was going right for the pink-armored knight, and she raised her lance in retaliation to his oncoming strike. What she didn't expect was an arrow to show through his forehead, dropping him down to the ground, dead. She heard another _swoosh_ and turned to see the bandit with the hand axe also impaled with an arrow through the heart, falling down.

Before she had any time to wonder what happened, she saw four people coming, an archer with a red ponytail, a knight with blue armor, a swordsman with blue hair, and a horse paladin with an axe. She had the feeling they weren't enemies, but she couldn't be too sure. At the sight of her, the blue-haired boy came over to her. "Hey! Are you all right?" he asked.

"Umm…Not really," she said, pointing to her wound on her back . Ike examined the wound, and inwardly cringed at seeing the deep gash on her back side. He really didn't know what to do, until he remembered that one of the people here gave him an item when he visited the tavern to warn the people. Pulling it out, he presented to the knight, who recognized it as an Elixir, the best kind of healing item ever made.

"Here, take this," Ike said, and she was glad to listen. Unscrewing the bottle top, she took a good gulp and instantly felt better, as she felt her wound and fatigue vanish, though she had a vague feeling that it might scar a little bit, but that wasn't a priority right now. The point was that these four, most likely mercenaries by her hunch, saved her from becoming a sliced biscuit.

"Thanks!" She said, stunningly more optimistic than a few minutes ago when she saw her life flash between her eyes. "So…Who are you?" she asked. "And…Y-You're helping me?" Ike looked rather confused at the question; why wouldn't he help her?

"I'm a mercenary the village hired to help get rid of these pirates, and yeah, we're helping you." He took a moment to see what was left off the pirates, and wasn't surprised to see Titania, Shinon, and Gatrie making quick work of them. "Let us take it from here," Ike told the Pegasus Knight. "You can retreat while we handle the rest of the pirates." Well, there was no way that she was going to reject that kindness.

"Oh fudgesticks, that's just awesome! Thank you so much! I wouldn't have the words…" she trailed off, though Ike just shrugged off the "dramatic" attitude of the knight.

"Don't mention it. It's all in a day's work," he said, though she was determined to pay the mercenary back.

"But, is there anything I can do to repay you?" she asked, determined to find a way to return the favor.

"Well…I can't think of anything right now. Just get somewhere safe, please," he kindly rejected. She seemed a little down at not being able to pay back her saviors, but she wasn't going to let this go.

"Well… Tell me who you are! Then we can talk about repaying my debt later, handsome," she compromised, and Ike couldn't help but be unnerved by her attitude at the moment.

"I'm…Ike," he finally revealed after some silent contemplation of using a fake name or not."I'm with the Greil Mercenaries." The knight then nodded enthusiastically.

"Ike! Right! And my name is Marcia, a Pegasus Knight of Begnion. Don't forget me!" At that signal, her Pegasus started to rise into the air as they prepared to leave. "All right, I'll be seeing you later!" she said, while flying off into the distance. Ike couldn't help but be a little confused by the knight, Marcia.

Shaking that thought off his head, he looked at the rest of the pirate ship to see that everyone had been killed except for the leader, though judging by the sight of Titania swinging her axe at him, he didn't have much time left on this world either. His assumption proved to be right as the leader fell to the ground, with a long final groan of pain. With the fight done, he looked to Titania to see what to do next. She caught his eye and issued her next order.

"We're done here. Let's go back to the elder and tell him that our job is completed." Nobody had any complaints with that, so they went back to the shack at the front of the village to see the old man standing out there already with their payment in a bag. "Sir, we have driven off the pirates, and they will not cause any harm or panic anymore," she summarized to the man, who smiled in happiness.

"Thank you, and thank the goddess! I have your pay, as well," he said, giving the red-haired night the bag.

"Thank you sir and you can contact us again if any other problem arises that need our help," she replied.

"Oh yes, yes! All of you did wondrously in your work, with all of your amazing combat," the man continued in his praise, before his mood turned a little somber. "To be honest, I was expecting Commander Greil to come here today. I admit that I was a good tad bit nervous when I saw all you guys, no offense, a band of children!" he finished, with a very raspy laughter to go along with it. Titania simply smiled at the remark, while the boys did look slightly offended.

"I do apologize for troubling you. Unfortunately, Greil had other pressing matters to attend to as well," she informed the elder, who wasn't troubled in the least.

"Oh, phooey! Don't apologize, because there's no need. After all, you got rid of the pirates, and impeccably well too!"

"That was a fine compliment, sir, but it was our pleasure," Titania said.

"As a matter of fact, you all are even more than talented to be in the Royal Army if you so desired!" he continued to praise. "Especially your commander Greil. He's far and ways better than any other general I've seen hereabouts." He then stopped for a second, trying to ask a question that seemed like they could take offense to it, by the way his face started to wrinkle at the thought. "Well…What I'm trying to say is…Don't you think running off some sea bandits is a bit…beneath you?"

"Well-" Titania started, but was interrupted by the old man.

"I don't mean any offense, now. You've certainly helped us simple folk out. That being said, seems to me like the proper place for you and Commander Greil to be is the royal throne! Well, that's what this old geezer thinks, anyway," he said, giving everyone a small lecture.

"Well, we and Greil are very satisfied with the work that we do," Titania answered, with a content smile on her face, and the old man couldn't help but make a smile himself at the selfless paladin.

"You've nary a selfish bone among your body," he said. "Well you know, if we ever have another problem show its head, we know who to call." The old man then walked back to the shack, and turned around one more time. "Thank you once more," and with that, he retreated into the house.

"Hmm…" Titania mumbled, as if thinking about something. Slightly worried, Ike made sure to ask if she was alright.

"Titania, is something wrong?"

"What?" she mumbled, snapping out of her little stupor very quickly. "No. Of course not. We have completed our mission, and that's all that matters right now. Great work to all of you," she complimented. Though it seemed as though Shinon was not satisfied, and it was very much confirmed the second the sniper opened his mouth.

"Pah! Little "tag its" like this is nothing that can take me out of my extreme boredom! Just like the old-timer said, there's more exciting things in life than saving people who look like they're right next to death anyway from some stupid pirates!" he complained, for a split second Titania's face looked like she wanted to choke him with her own two hands.

"Shinon!" she hissed, clearly not in a good mood to deal with the sniper's theatrics. Shinon quickly caught on to him going a little bit too far, and was a little frightened at the clearly aggravated paladin, not that he would say anything.

"Hey, I'm JOKING! J-O-K-ing!" he hastily reasoned, and it took nearly all of her discipline and training not to chase after him with her axe. She just crossed her arms, and that was when Gatrie decided to put in his own two cents.

"Well, Titania, we have to be honest here. Don't you think the small-time work we do is a bit…disheartening? Or even unglamorous?" He was very nervous in expression that, especially considering that the deputy commander was not in the best of moods. But her expression changed from annoyance to shock, because Gatrie was usually much more accepting of the job than Shinon was, and was much more open-minded than the ambitious bow wielder.

"Gatrie, you're going along with this?" she asked, not believing that Gatrie was actually following one of Shinon's crazy ideas this time. "What has gotten into you?"

"Please hear me out!" Gatrie said, not exactly to keen on an axe getting shoved through his skull. "We aren't just some green mercenary recruits looking for some handouts. We are professionals that have skills and are very good at what we do. Shinon and I have been discussing for quite a period of time, and we have come to a point. This mundane mercenary work just isn't becoming of us. We're wasting our talents." When he finished, he expected Titania to explode; however, the stone-cold look on her face was somehow worse than any other axe-swing she could have done at that moment.

"I see…" she finally commented after a moment of silence that felt like years. "So you think that mismanaging us. Would I be correct in that statement?" Gatrie's face adopted a look of horror, as he was an avid follower of Greil and his ways.

"Woah! Now that's a little far! I never intended anything like that!" he defended, looking surprised that Titania would even insinuate that.

"What is it, Titania?" Ike finally asked, after witnessing the whole exchange, he was also somewhat shocked as he had never seen the red-headed paladin this riled-up before. She was usually the gentle, mother figure of the group, and seeing this was a bit hard to swallow, even if he knew it was real.

"What's what?" she replied, wondering what Ike would have to say.

"You seem…angry. That's nothing like you."

"Hmph…" she huffed, though inwardly she knew that Ike was right. She had just snapped at Shinon's remarks, and now she had clearly blown it out of proportion.

"Ike's got the right of it, yeah!" Gatrie said.

"Well…It's just…" Titania stopped, and took a deep breath, and raised her head to look into every single person's eyes. "Look, we do good work, and we help people. That's something that I want you to be proud of. What you said sounded to me like you thought that work that isn't for fame and fortune wasn't worthwhile. Sorry," she apologized, though now Gatrie was pretty guilty for even thinking about it now.

"Wait…You're right, and we should be apologizing for being selfish," Gatrie admitted, though Shinon didn't say a thing nor did he look like he had any remorse.

"Enough. Let's get going, shall we? Resting is a part of mercenary life as well. No use going into the next battle too tired to stand on your feet," Titania said, changing the somber atmosphere, and everyone was glad for the thickness disappearing like that.

"Now that's a plan!" Gatrie bellowed with a laugh. "I'm so hungry, I bet I could eat a wyvern!" he exaggerated, before heading to the entrance. As Titania started to ready her steed, Ike walked up to her as she was climbing on to her horse.

"Titania!" he slightly yelled, turning her attention to the commander's son.

"Yes, Ike?"

"If you're looking for pride…then I have it," he said, cracking a small smile.

"Hm?" She did not expect to hear that out of Ike, and was a little put off.

"You and father have kept the group together, and I'm…just proud to be a part of it, that's all," he admitted, scratching his head in the middle of it. He then left Titania to her thinking, heading over to Gatrie who was ready to depart back to the base.

'Ike…' she thought, and small smile appeared on her face as well. It was good that Ike had learned the values of being a good person over money and riches, and it felt like an accomplishment to her. Maybe with time, Shinon could learn-

"Pah, I'm surrounded by idealistic fools…What's wrong with having enough money to live well? Idiots, all of 'em."

'Okay, maybe I spoke too soon.' She just rolled his eyes at the brooding sniper, and then she held back a snicker when she thought of a way to pay the pony-tail haired man back. 'Maybe I can do a prank with Khimari…' Details of what they could do to Shinon kept a smile on her face the whole time from the small town all the way to the base.

XXXXX

About three hours after sundown, Khimari had made good distance on his journey to the Gallian capital, Zarzi. After running nearly non-stop, and only stopping for drinking at a river or the occasional hunt for prey, he had made it to the deep forests of Gallia. He stopped at a clearing where he decided he was going to rest tonight. Taking one final look at the map, he decided to start in the morning, and he would reach the capital by the afternoon tomorrow to deliver the message.

Strangely enough, he didn't run into any Laguz yet, be he just shook it off. He figured that he was just in a rural area where not many lived, and it did make sense, as nearly all of the Gallian settlements were near a large body of water. As it was, the moon was at its apex in the sky, signaling that it was almost midnight. The moist rainforest climate was pretty appealing to Khimari-as Greil predicted, but he really didn't pay any attention to the weather change as he was nearly from running to a whole country in one day. After going the distance he did, needless to say, anyone would be at the very least knocked out for a night or two.

Taking his little cloak off along with his sword sash, he hung them both on a nearby tree branch, and he laid on the ground under a tree not too far from it. His map and the letter were both inches away from him, tucked safely into the tree roots where he could see it at all times. Doing his usual three circles, Khimari was about to retire into sleep, until a demanding voice out of nowhere forced his sleep to be postponed.

"Stranger! Explain you trespassing of Gallian territory!"

XXXXX

A/N: Well, that's all for now. Just one last cliffhanger before the big moment that nearly EVERYONE knows, and I certainly hoped you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this. Heck, even I was surprised by some things that happened! :P


	7. The Jungle Kingdom

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Hey y'all! How ya doing? Here's your next chapter, and grab a tissue, and some pliers, because you'll want 'em for this tear-jerker! ((If you want to call it that)) (Why pliers? No reason, just to yank your eyes out after seeing spongebob)

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done…_

" _Has anyone else noticed that humans are the only species who will kill over anything? We take, murder needlessly, and we steal, yet we still have the audacity and stupidity to say that we are the best species. More like best murderers, if you ask me. –_ Quote of the chapter

 _Last Time on Blue Wolf,_

 _The moon was at its apex in the sky, signaling that it was almost midnight. The moist rainforest climate was pretty appealing to Khimari-as Greil predicted, but he really didn't pay any attention to the weather change as he was nearly exhausted from running to a whole country in one day. After going the distance he did, needless to say, anyone would be at the very least knocked out for a night or two._

 _Taking his little cloak off along with his sword sash, he hung them both on a nearby tree branch, and he lay on the ground under a tree not too far from it. His map and the letter were both inches away from him, tucked safely into the tree roots where he could see it at all times. Doing his usual three circles, Khimari was about to retire into sleep, until a demanding voice out of nowhere forced his sleep to be postponed._

" _Stranger! Explain you trespassing of Gallian territory!"_

XXXXX

Snapping out of sleep faster than lightning, Khimari immediately jumped up, untransforming as a figure came into the clearing. It was a female cat, with green clothes on and an orange tail, along with orange hair. Another noticing look was her piercing purple eyes that were currently glaring at Khimari. Seeing that it was another Laguz, he relaxed and thought that he could just try to reason with the Gallian that he wasn't here to do any harm.

"Hey, I'm only here to-" he tried to reason before he was interrupted by the cat's sharp hiss, who did not care to listen after seeing his sword hanging on a tree where he left it just a few minutes ago.

"Silence!" she yelled, before transforming into her Laguz form. Before Khimari knew what to do in order to make her listen, she pounced. With a speed that he'd only seen from Titania or Greil, she rushed at him with the intent to do damage. Jumping to the side at the last moment, he barely avoided getting clawed to ribbons. This continued for a good moment, Khimari avoiding strikes from the irascible cat while trying to reason with the Laguz, who was getting irritated at this trespasser doing nothing. "Fight, coward!" she hissed, before attempting another failed strike on Khimari's face. At this point, Khimari was getting extremely irritated himself, and was really over this Laguz's one-track mind, as well as the few claw marks on his legs and arms.

"Will you LISTEN?!" he yelled, and his question was answered by the orange cat preparing to do another strike. Fed up with this cat's stubbornness, he transformed, the blue light around him disappearing to reveal his wolf form. There was a visible pause and Khimari could see that his opponent's feline face was filled with confusion and even some doubt for a moment, and he hoped that she would finally relent and listen. Nonetheless, his silent wish would not come true as the warrior's face hardened again and she advanced on him once again. This time; however, he was prepared.

Waiting until the last second, he sidestepped the Gallian and bit down on her leg viciously. Yowling in pain, the cat twirled its body around and scored her claws down Khimari's side in retaliation, making him let go of the cat's leg, and leading the two to a standoff. Before they could continue with their battle, though, they were interrupted by a booming voice that reverberated across the clearing.

"Lethe! Stop now!" Freezing in place, the two fighters turned their heads to the direction of the voice. Out of the surrounding forest came another Laguz, this one a blue tiger that was a good deal larger than Khimari. The orange cat, Lethe, visibly relaxed at the presence of the tiger, though Khimari was starting to actually get worried. Would they gang up on him? He definitely hoped not, as right now he could barely stand on his four legs from exhaustion, not to mention the many stinging cuts he had received during the small brawl. The last thing he needed was another fight, though from his point of view, it looked like the Gallians were arguing with each other.

"Lethe! What are you doing?" the tiger demanded, before his eyes landed on Khimari's shaky form, barely conscious and looking like he'd be out of it any second. Quickly, he ran over to the wolf, ignoring Lethe's indignant cries, and checked up on the Laguz. "Tell me," he started, which to the nearly unconscious Khimari was a lot better of a way to interrogate someone than straight up attacking them. "Where do you come from?"

"Crimea…" the tired blue wolf gasped. "Message for…King…" was all he could say before he passed out. Frightened, the blue tiger checked to make sure that his fellow Laguz was still alive, and was relieved to hear some light snoring, meaning that he just fell asleep. Sighing in relief, he looked around the clearing for the message that the one on his back needed to give to the king. It didn't take him long, and he found it along with something else at the roots of a tree. Picking it up carefully so as not to drop the unknown Laguz, and faced his partner, a very irritated Lethe who did not like his actions.

"Why are you helping him, Mordecai? He's with the humans!" she hissed at him.

"Lethe, you judge too fast with humans," Mordecai responded. "Besides, he was messenger, and you don't attack messenger. Remember?" he lightly reprimanded the warrior.

"You don't tell me anything, I'm your commanding officer," she retorted, though she did feel a little guilt inside. "Come on, let's head to the capital," she said, and the two retreated into the forest towards the capital.

XXXXX

In the Gallian capital of Zarzi, the city was bustling as the day was nearly at his peak. Khimari woke up when the sunlight started to warm his fur. Feeling stiff he decided to stretch for a quick second. Standing up on all fours, he stretched out all of his limbs, before he let out a little yawn. Then, he started to remember what happened the past night, and all of his senses kicked on alert. Looking around, he tried to take in all of his surroundings.

He was in a fairly simple room with a bed, the one he just got off of, as well as a solid brick wall. There was a window hole in there as well, and that's where Khimari went. Untransforming, he looked through the window, and was astounded by the sight that was shown to him.

There were Laguz everywhere, walking the streets, talking to one another. His eyes drifted around the populous city to see a bunch of Laguz children playing with each other, in a game of tag it seemed like. As he looked around, he couldn't help but shed a tear at seeing his kind all together for the first time.

'I wonder if that could have been me…' he thought, before shoving the thought out of his mind and wiping the tear off his face. As good as being with his own kind would have been, he already had a home in the Greil Mercenaries, whether he liked it or not. After all, it wouldn't do to go about life always thinking about what could have been.

"You, you're up?" a voice said, startling Khimari so much that he did a complete 180. He turned to see a tiger Laguz with a blue shirt and blue hair, nearly the same color as his own. His eyes widened as he realized that this was the one who rescued him last night.

"Oh, it's you! I mean… not in an offensive way, but…ya know, thanks for…last night," he stuttered, eventually just settling for scratching his head and little sheepish smile. In return, the tiger just laughed at the stumbling wreck of Khimari.

"Hmm. You are kind. Mordecai was right to listen to you. We will be friends," Mordecai said, a smile on his face as well. "I will tell king you are up. Wait here," he told, before closing the door once again leaving Khimari alone to think. It was a good thought to know that Laguz existed like Mordecai, who weren't like regular Beorc who judged others by sight or first impression. Though, it was probably his luck that the first one he met was a stubborn cat with anger issues… Khimari just sighed at his crazy life, and honestly wandered what other life-shattering discovery he would go through next.

It wasn't long before Mordecai had came back, once again bringing Khimari out of his endless head. "The king wishes to see you," he told the wolf. "Come. Follow Mordecai."

"Ok," Khimari replied, and the two went into the hallway. While they walked, Khimari couldn't help but to ask questions about Gallia. "So…Mordecai?" he started, which caught the tiger's attention as they walked down the long palace halls. "What is Gallia like? Ya know…the people here and stuff," he asked. Mordecai took a moment of thought before he began his response.

"Gallia is great place to be. Many Laguz are kind, but in my opinion, some fight too much. Mostly the cats fight, though, many have temper," he explained before giving a good laugh, and Khimari couldn't help but laugh a bit as well. It quickly died down as Mordecai continued his Gallian "tour."

"Here, we have Laguz, but you know that, eh? Some Beorc make home here, too, though not everyone is welcome with open arm."

"Um…Have you ever seen any…wolf Laguz here?" Khimari asked the tiger, in hopes of finding his own kind again, though his hopes were quickly evaporating as Mordecai gave him a look of confusion.

"I never seen wolves in Gallia before. Maybe you should ask king. He is wise and patient," Mordecai responded, which did restore some of Khimari's hope of finding them.

"Thanks, Mordecai," Khimari thanked, still grateful for saving him the night before and leading him to the king. Mordecai had stopped when they reached a door, probably the king on the other side. Mordecai knocked on the door before turning back to the wolf.

"It is no problem, you are good person," he responded before looking into Khimari's eyes for the first time. "Your eyes…" Mordecai muttered, bringing attention to Khimari. "They are different color," he noted. At the mention of his eye condition, Khimari sub-consciously brought a hand to his blue eye.

"I was born like that… I remember it was something I got from my dad," he told the peaceful tiger.

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know, never met him." Before they could continue the conversation, the door to the throne room came open to reveal another Laguz, this one he had never seen before. He had wild red hair, and wore a very regal outfit, and had an aura of confidence. Khimari couldn't help but be unnerved when the Laguz looked him up and down, as if comparing him to someone else. Finally, he stopped the inspection, much to the wolf's relief.

"Come with me, to see the king," he commanded in a gruff and heavy voice, and the tone carried authority that Khimari could tell came from a lion. The three walked through the castle for another few moments before the small corridor gave way to the large throne room, and needless to say, Khimari was mesmerized.

The throne room was a very big space, with plenty of openings, and balconies that extended out from the city to the forest beyond. There were many lanterns place on the walls of the room, for the nighttime, and the growing vines from the openings of the lookouts only intensified the connection with nature. Though, as amazing as the throne room looked, it didn't seem to compare to the king.

Now, Khimari had read about Gallia many times, and knew much about King Caineghis, though somehow the books didn't give the justice that comes with seeing him in person. He was very tall, even larger than Greil, and while his hair was more controlled than the one who greeted them at the door, the red color just added to the sheer power he exuded. In truth, Khimari was a good bit intimidated by the beast king. The king looked to the lion beside him and Mordecai, and said, "Thank you Skrimir, you can go now." The lion, Skrimir, simply huffed, but still nodded his respect before leaving. The king then got up from his throne, and walked up to the wolf and tiger.

"So, you are the messenger, correct?" he asked. Khimari slightly gulped, but still nodded in confirmation, not exactly trusting his voice right now. The king couldn't help but let out a deep gruff laugh at the shy little Laguz in front of him. "Well, Greil has told me much about you, Khimari, but I can see there is more than what meets the eye when it comes to you," he said, surprising Khimari that the king knew his name, and Greil.

"You know Greil?" Khimari blurted, before quickly slapping his hands onto his mouth when realizing he spoke a little too freely. In response, though, the lion king just gave another bellowing laughter at the care-free Laguz.

"Why yes, youngling, we go quite a-ways back. I first met him when his son was born, though he left to Daein for a while before stopping permanently in Crimea. It was nearly three years after Begnion's last apostle banned Laguz slavery, and he, as well as Crimea, was a big help in getting the Laguz back to their rightful places. The process took a whole five years, but it would have been longer if it weren't for Crimea's helping hand." He then looked back to Mordecai and Khimari after seeing that he went on for quite a while. "Oh, I apologize for my rambling. I did not mean to bore you."

"Oh, no, it's interesting…" Khimari denied. "But…do you know what happened to the wolf tribe?" The kings face grew long at the question, and he wore a forlorn expression.

"The wolf tribe, along with the Serenes Herons, suffered the most out of Laguz slavery. Since they were the closest to Begnion, all of their land was either stolen or burned down along with the Herons, and they were forced to leave a while after the slavery law was banned. I do not know where they settle now, though seeing as you are here, they must still be around somewhere," he said, satisfying Khimari's curiosity at last.

"Thank you for telling me, King Caineghis," he said sincerely.

"It is not a problem, young one. Though tell me, is this your first time in Gallia?" Khimari nodded his head once again. Seeing his response, he turned to Mordecai. "Mordecai, would you mind showing him the exit please?" Mordecai shock his head, indicating that it would be no problem. "Then, you can search for a while before you go on your return journey tomorrow, and I will have someone come to get you and return you to your quarters," the king explained.

"T-Thank you, King," Khimari thanked once again, a little bit shell-shocked about all of what's going through his eyes and head right now.

"By your leave, your Majesty," Mordecai said, and Caineghis gave his approval with a nod of his head. The two then turned to exit the building, and Khimari finally released his breath when they were out of the king's sight. Mordecai smirked once again at the wolf's childish attitude.

"Was Khimari nervous?" he asked, as the two went back down the corridor. Khimari just closed his eyes and scratched his head again.

"Like you wouldn't bel- Oof!" he said, before he crashed into someone while going around the corner. Acting fast, he quickly got back up and helped the other person up as well. "I'm so sor-" he started, before he started to look at the one that he helped. Seeing who it was before Khimari, Mordecai, quietly stepped out of the corridor, closing the door behind him.

He was a cat Laguz, as he could see by his tail, but that wasn't what shocked him. It was the fact that his hair color, and tail were the exact same color as his, and they had the same claw markings on their faces. Now if it wasn't coincidence enough, when they looked into each other's eyes, they found that they both had different colored eyes, both green, though one was purple and the other was a dark blue. That was what sealed the deal for Khimari, as he inadvertently found the one that he had been looking for.

"Dad…" he whispered, after looking into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. A torrent of emotions were invading him right now. Sadness, anger, even confusion, but the one that stood out the most was relief.

"So…you're my son, eh…" the cat said after a long time. Khimari then snorted at the cat Laguz.

"Well, I'm not your daughter," he cheekily replied, and silence remained for a while, before they both ended up with snickering.

"I can see that much," his dad replied, before actually getting a good look at his long-lost son. He was healthy, in good standing, and had a good personality, and that's really all he could ask for in a son. "So…"

"Khimari," he helped his dad.

"Ok, so Khimari, tell me where you've been for the last 17 years." From there, Khimari told him everything he could remember, from starting up in Hatari, to the separation from his mother, and from being found by Greil and taken in all the way to the present right now.

"And, now here I am, just delivered a letter from the king of Crimea to King Caineghis. Well, what's your story?" Khimari asked, as a good while passed, and now they walking in the capital city, just chatting with each other about really anything.

"My story? Well, I'm currently the right-hand to the prince, Skrimir; and I help out a lot with making sure that he doesn't do anything…too brash and headstrong," he described.

"So you babysit a prince and is the one who actually thinks," Khimari bluntly summed up.

"Well, when you put it like that, you make me sound like an old nanny!" his dad; Ranulf was his name from what he found out, exasperatedly said. Khimari just smirked at the cat.

"Well, I still have to punish you somehow," he replied. "And laughing is always the best way to go, so…" he left off, accenting his point even more.

"Well, I'll just have to do this the Laguz way," Ranulf sighed, though it grabbed Khimari's attention, especially when Ranulf's expression changed back into the usual happy-go-lucky one. "Time for a little wrestle!" Khimari smiled, again, though this one was slightly more battle hungry.

"Don't get your tail fur in a bunch, I'm plenty tough enough for you," he retorted, much to the snort of his father.

"Well come on, let's find somewhere private," before the two went into the dense Gallian forests. It wasn't long before they found a good enough clearing. Satisfied, the two went to the opposite sides of the clearing. "Ready?" Ranulf asked, while starting his transformation.

"Anytime," he sent back, before doing his own transformation. As the blue glows faded away, they both took a small standstill to look at each other's Laguz forms. Ranulf, was a cat Laguz, and he learned from yesterday that they were pretty fast and could maneuver through a lot of things. They weren't the strongest though, but he could tell that the blue cat was an exception to that rule, as he wasn't a prince's right-hand for nothing, especially in a country where the strongest are usually at the top. They both put pressure in their hind legs, ready to go at it, then…they jumped.

Rushing at each other, Khimari really did think for a second that it would be a brute-force wrestle, though that thought was completely erased when Ranulf jumped over him. Thinking quickly, he turned around and rushed to where he was airborne, before headbutting the cat through the air, though he landed again on his four paws, safe and sound. "Good speed," the cat commented, as not many were able to keep up with him.

Without responding, Khimari decided to go on the offensive with a pounce, though Ranulf easily avoided it, before launching his own little swipe on Khimari's little leg, which knocked the wolf off balance a little bit. Not giving his son a chance to recover, he feinted to the left and hit the other leg, and that was when the wolf figured out his strategy. A beast Laguz with no legs is as good as done. Before Ranulf could start on his hind legs, Khimari flipped back himself, actually landing on the blue cat.

With a somewhat playful, yet annoyed _meow_ , Ranulf pushed Khimari off of him using all of his strength, which was a heck of a lot, considering the wolf was thrown halfway across the clearing into a tree. A little disoriented, Khimari tried to shake out the cobwebs, only to find a paw right in front of his throat. He growled a little bit, considering he lost, but it was still a good fight.

Both of them untransformed, slightly panting, but for the most part okay. "That's my win," Ranulf claimed, much to the wolf's ire. He then stretched a little bit more, before he heard a satisfying crack from his back. "You didn't have to land on me, though!"

"Well, I can't _fly_ ," he retaliated. "Besides, you're a good throw pillo- Ow!" Khimari yelped as Ranulf punched his arm.

"Hey, being fluffy is a _good thing_ , and you do well not to forget that. It one of the Beast Laguz's greatest secrets," he said.

"Oookayy…" Khimari said, though he knew that his dad was joking, it was better to him that someone finally said that being fluffy is a good thing. Then far off in Khimari's ears, he could hear clanging. Apparently, Ranulf could hear it, too, as he stopped moving as well. After a moment, they both looked at each other. Then the smell of iron and metal hit their noses, and they knew that there were weapons. In the blink of an eye, Khimari could see how Ranulf earned his position, as the Gallian warriors eyes hardened, as they set themselves on him.

"Follow me, and don't make too much noise," he commanded, to which the wolf nodded. Treading through the forest, after about an hour or so, they found a Beorc troop. They had set a fire because the sun was getting close to the horizon, though it was so discreet that it would be hard to find with just a pair of eyes. Looking back, Ranulf gave Khimari the "come here" motion, and he came up to a pair of thickets, to see soldiers clad in black armor, all around the clearing.

"Who are…" Khimari started, though he trailed off as he had a cold feeling about who they were. Ranulf just confirmed it.

"Daein's here. That means the rumors are true. Crimea was invaded…" the cat said, which brought shock to the younger Laguz. He knew that tensions were increasing, but a full-scale invasion was completely unexpected. They quieted their conversation as the Daein soldiers started talking to one another.

"Hey, is everything set up?" one soldier asked.

"Almost, why?" the other, who was getting firewood, replied. The first soldier looked around, before saying his response.

"Commander Kova is in a bad mood, and he fried someone to a crisp today!" the first one said. "Then he told everybody, "If this camp isn't set up by the time I return, the sub-humans are getting a nice barbecued meal tomorrow," he finished, shivering near the end. Their conversation was interrupted; however, by a knight completely encased in black armor, with a red cape.

"I trust that the preparations are going smoothly," he said, and the two soldiers saluted the knight.

"Yes, General Black Knight, sir!" they shouted.

"Good. I will go to Kova's quarters and speak to him about the ambush. Now-" the Black Knight stopped for a second, before speaking again to the soldiers. "Sound the alarm, we have intruders," he commanded, before leaving with a swish of his cape as one of the two soldiers went to sound the alarm, as the other readied his lance.

Cursing slightly, Ranulf turned to Khimari. "Cover's blown, let's see how much we can cripple them," he said, before running out into the camp, startling the soldier who remained behind.

"What the-" he didn't even get a chance to finish before he was sucker-punched into sweet unconsciousness by Ranulf. Khimari running right next to him, coming just in the nick of time as the alarm sounded, and they found themselves surrounded by an entire camp of Daein soldiers, equipped and ready to strike.

"Listen," Ranulf started. "You take the left side, and I'll take the right. You try to destroy the campsite as you go along, but don't make it a priority. We'll meet in the middle, near the commander's tent and we'll confront the remaining forces together." With a nod from Khimari, the two transformed, and all hell broke loose.

Running to the left, as planned, Khimari claimed the life of the closest one to him, a poor myrmidon who had no clue. The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by at least twenty soldiers. The next few minutes were followed by a frenzy of steel, claws, and blood, though Khimari was relatively unharmed, save for a little sword that hit his side. Every time he went on to a different part of camp, he made a claw mark around one entire side of all the tents that he could get to, making them all fall. The waves of Daein soldiers came in groups of six to eight people, and they weren't much of a challenge.

Soon enough, Khimari was handling the last group before he got to the commander's tent, and he could hear Ranulf closing in too. Feinting around the last three soldiers of the group, the victim was the myrmidon, and he was headed to finish the other soldier too, until his fur started to stand on end. Jumping back, he avoided a fireball that would have made him a breakfast buffet.

Turning to the mage, Khimari rushed forward and sliced his throat, effectively getting rid of that small annoyance, before turning his attention towards the last soldier, who was in the process of running away, his axe thrown on the ground. Rolling his eyes at the stupidity, he just turned back around to see Ranulf handling the last one on his side, and the two met up at the predetermined point.

"Ready?" Ranulf asked.

"Let's tear 'em a new one," he responded, his Laguz instincts going in overdrive. The two ran up for a quick moment, but quickly stopped as the knight from earlier stepped outside of the lead tent, along with the supposed Commander Kova.

"So, here are our little sub-humans, but there's only two?" he said, amazed at all the carnage dealt to his camp by the two beasts. "Easy pickings for me, heh, I might just get promoted," he boasted, raising a hand up to do a magic spell. The knight just stood there, not saying a thing, or moving a muscle to help his comrade for that matter.

Khimari and Ranulf both jumped to the side as Kova released his elfire spell, burning where the two Laguz were, leaving nothing but burnt soil. Before the mage could do another spell, Ranulf clawed the man's arm, effectively making him drop his magic book. He hissed in pain, and moved to grab his arm, though he did not get a chance to as Khimari sliced the other arm. "Curse you, Sub-" he did not get the chance to finish as Ranulf dealt the finishing blow to the magician's throat, ending him at the spot.

With the commander finished, both Laguz turned to the knight, who still remained motionless, until he spoke.

"Duel me," he requested, pointing to Khimari, who was confused at the Black Knight.

"Why?" he asked, not understanding the knight's intentions.

"You too, were trained by Sir Gawain. I will test his strength through you." It didn't take a scholar to figure out that the one in the armor was talking about Greil, but it was still beclouding.

"Fine. If that's what you want," Khimari agreed. Ranulf stepped in to stop this, but the Black Knight shot a beam of blue energy from his sword, right in front of the Gallian, which created an energy field around himself and Khimari.

"This is our fight. Do not interfere." Ranulf growled, but complied with the Daein general. The knight then showed his sword, golden and shining with all its glory. "Prepare yourself."

"You too," he returned, before transforming. From there, the fight began. The Black Knight began the assault, rushing at the wolf with speeds thought to be impossible from a person wearing that much armor. Khimari immediately found himself on the defensive, dodging and avoiding every strike from the black-clad knight, while searching for the smallest opening.

After dodging another horizontal sword swipe, Khimari took a chance at the offensive. He took his claws and raked them across the knight's armor, and he along with Ranulf were shocked to see that it had no effect on the knight whatsoever. "What?!" he yelled, separating himself from the Black Knight through a series of backpedals. "It didn't do anything!"

"My armor is blessed by the Goddess Ashera herself. Only other blessed weapons may pierce it," the Black Knight explained, and Khimari was starting to doubt himself. How could he win against someone he couldn't even scratch? It only got worse when the Daein general started blasting waves of blue energy at him, going at what seemed like the speed of light, once again putting the wolf on the defensive.

He couldn't dodge forever, though. The knight blasting yet another wave, this one horizontal, Khimari had no way to dodge and was hit. It blew him back several feet into the barrier, and it felt like getting hit by a dragon. He didn't have time to worry about the pain though, this was a fight to the death, and he was losing.

Getting back up, Khimari rushed at the Black Knight with reckless abandon, trying to confuse the knight for an opening. Going to the general's back, Khimari jumped at it, only to once again be thrown across the place by the swords blunt side. Now, the wolf was starting to feel the side effects of all of the hits, fatigue and pain coming off him in waves.

"Khimari!" Ranulf yowled, transforming and trying to break the barrier, to no avail.

The Black Knight walked over, stopping feet in front of the downed Laguz, and pointed his sword at him. 'Is this…the end?' Khimari thought, before the Daein general started talking again.

"Pathetic. You fight well, but are nowhere close to my level. Meet your end," the Black Knight told the downed wolf, raising his sword to deal the final blow.

At that moment, Khimari's mind was overflown with images of everyone in the Greil Mercenaries, Ranulf, even an image of his mother, one by one. The last image was the one that Khimari only had before when he touched the medallion; the girl with orange pigtails crying at the lake. Then…something in Khimari snapped.

On the outside, the Black Knight was getting ready to kill Khimari, and was in the motion of thrusting his sword through the wolf, until a burst of blue light started to emanate from the Laguz. "Hm?" he grunted, stepping back as he didn't know what was going on. The aura started to get brighter and brighter, and Khimari rose up, tail swishing and a fire in his eyes that stared right at the knight.

"This…is not over, yet," the risen Laguz growled, before leaping at the knight. Readying his sword, the Black Knight swung, and sparks flew when it connected with Khimari's claws. Before the general could retaliate, Khimari threw another strike at his opponent, and to the Black Knight's utter shock, the wolf's claws pierced his armor and scratched his arm a good bit.

'Impossible…' the knight denied, yet the evidence was clear. His armor had been broken. But that could wait for a later time. Ignoring his bleeding arm, the Daein general shot another wave of energy at the Laguz, and it made direct contact, though instead of flying through the air like last time, he simply was pushed back a few feet and stood his ground, another shock to the black-armored general. In an attempt to end this once and for all, the Black Knight ran forward, with the intent of defeating the wolf before he could become even more of a threat.

Once again, sword and claw clashed, and this time, the Black Knight would not hold back. Using all of his power, he threw the aura covered wolf into his barrier, though it still didn't faze the wolf entirely, considering he just shook his head before entering the fray for another round. Khimari flew back into the battle, flying across the battlefield to the Daein knight, dodging his sword swipes, before attempting another hit.

The hit would ring true as Khimari bit down on the Black Knight's left leg, piercing the armor and the knight's flesh again. He would not get to relish in his moment of victory, however, as the Black Knight smashed his sword into Khimari's body one last time, with all of his force. That was the decisive blow, as the aura dissipated from the wolf's body while the Laguz slipped into unconsciousness. The barrier around the two faded at last and Ranulf took no time in picking up the wolf, and staring at the Black Knight.

"He will live," the knight told Ranulf, and as mysterious as it was that he kept Khimari alive on purpose, the cat didn't argue about the knight's intentions right now. "He has caught my interest. Make sure he is stronger when the two of us cross paths again," the Black Knight told Ranulf, before he was surrounded by a bright light, and disappeared. Ranulf just stood there for a while, pondering about the ominous knight, until he remembered that he had to take Khimari back to the castle for healing.

XXXXX

The sun had long past set when Ranulf returned his injured son to the castle, and was not surprised when Caineghis asked him for a full report. Filling the king up on all of the details, the lion ordered all extra patrols on Gallian territory, and a special lookout for the princess' convoy, as word from Crimea had said that the princess was traveling with a mercenary group to the safety of Gallia; most likely the one Greil's leading, they concluded. They also had a private discussion over Khimari, where the Gallian King found out that he was the son of the wolf queen, which explained the Laguz Gem around his neck, normally only given to Laguz heirs. It also explained how he could stay transformed for so long, even without using the gem's power.

Another topic they had discussed was the aura around Khimari, and Caineghis told the curious cat that it must be related to the ancient medallion of the Dark God, which glows blue every time war starts across the land. Caineghis made it a point to ask Khimari about the medallion when the wolf came out of unconsciousness, and to bring this meeting up at the next royal gathering in Goldoa, which was coming in just a few months. By the time they finished the discussion, it was well past midnight and the sunrise wouldn't be far behind.

Now, Ranulf was dead tired, and after checking up on Khimari one last time, was tired enough to sleep underwater. Somehow, he made it to his room, and dropped onto his bed like a brick. Exhausted, the cat went into an uncomfortable sleep, plagued about the Black Knight and the aura appearing around his son.

XXXXX

A/N: There's a good chapter to keep you occupied! Now, before you ask questions or say that I'm doing a Gary Stu type thing, keep in mind, Khimari still got the sh*t beat out of him, and the Black Knight was relatively unharmed, besides a scratch and a bite. Now about what the crap happened, I could explain it, but I would spoil…just about the whole rest of the story, so for now just be curious, because curiosity is usually a good thing, unless you're a cat!

Another thing, about the meeting between Khimari and Ranulf, I didn't have the whole "Where the f*** where you all my life!?" crap because it just wasn't his personality. Khimari doesn't hold grudges like that (Shinon is a WHOLE 'nother story), and even if he did, it wasn't like Ranulf could magically find him with a GPS (Global Parenting System) or anything. So, everything I did was justified, and if you don't like it, deal with it. (Wow, I addressed that crap before it could even start! Score me!)

Buuut, anyways, I do hope that you fave, follow, and review, but above all, ENJOY! See ya next chappie! :P

Blizzard, Out!


	8. Dog's Breath and Dirty Looks

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Here is chapter…8, I think, of Blue Wolf! As always, please fave, follow, and comment, but above all, Enjoy! (Oh, and due to lack of patience trying to sound intelligent, I just copied and pasted some of Soren's dialogue, then changed it around to fit the story's atmosphere. I may be somewhat smart ((Everyone calls me smart, but I think I'm average)), but I can still be extremely lazy when I want to be!)

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done_

 _This had definitely NOT been one of Ike's best weeks._

 _In the time span of one week, he fought off kidnappers, helped beat down some pirates, and now the Greil Mercenaries were escorting the secret princess of Crimea, Elincia, to Gallia… He would definitely have envy for Khimari, who has been missing in action due to his little trip to Gallia that Greil told everyone about after they had returned from fighting the pirates in the small town. Man, what he would give to trade places with his surrogate brother right now…_

 _But, back to current matters, everyone had to pack and leave a soon as possible after the base was attacked by Daein troops, forcing them to leave their home behind, and to help the princess stay out of Daein's hands. After traveling all the way from the base, they were nearly in Gallia, and already they were extremely irritated by the heat._

"Ugh, this humidity is simply unbearable!" Gatrie started to complain, voicing everyone else's thoughts. "If we weren't being chased down to be murdered, I would strip all of this armor off, here and now!" Okay, that sent some…unsavory images into the group's head, but thankfully Titania was there to save the day from Gatrie's theatrics yet again.

"Then that means it's a GOOD thing that we are being pursued," the paladin verbally shot, eliciting snorts and snickers from the group, and some level of embarrassment from Gatrie. "I'll suppose guess you'll just have to grin and bear it, don't you agree?" she said with a sweet smile on her face, though everyone knew that smile was a sign of Titania thinking very bad things but not wanting to traumatize the children.

"Hm, I suppose I will," Gatrie reluctantly agreed, though turning his face away to hide his injured pride.

"Good. So that's enough of your complaining. You're wasting energy like that." She still did have to agree with Gatrie on that topic, though; this heat is ridiculous. "Still, the heat is rather appalling."

"Dense rainforests like these aren't exactly made to fit with us delicate humans. The sub-humans love 'em though," he said, once again making everyone inwardly groan on yet ANOTHER one of Shinon's hate messages towards the beasts.

"Shinon…" Ike started, curious to actually learn more about these 'sub-humans.' "Shinon…are the…sub-humans really so much like us?" he asked, knowing that Khimari wasn't too different from the rest of the group, though it seems like he may be an exception to the rule because Ike had known the wolf for most of his life.

"So, you've never seen a man-beast before?" Shinon sneered, less impressed with Ike by the second.

"No, never," Ike said, before adding some thought to his response. "Besides Khimari, I mean." Everyone had to roll their eyes yet again as Shinon loudly breathed through his nose in annoyance of hearing their comrade's name.

"Well, I guess he'll do right now, though you'll need to know what to expect," Shinon started, before going into his twisted lecture. "I've met those…things before. They're hairy, disgusting animals. Ugly as sin, if you want a comparison. Their faces are fangs and whiskers, and their claws are like daggers, bloodthirsty to rip you open and eat your flesh. They can still speak our language, though every single one of them, even the family mutt, are savages on the inside," Shinon remarked, finished with his long and insulting lecture/rant about the different race that lives here. Fortunately, Soren did help out, to give some unbiased information, even if he himself didn't exactly like the beasts.

"The ones Shinon calls "sub-humans" can be divided into three categories, each one named for their separate physical characteristics. First, the beast tribe, next, the bird tribe, and finally, the dragon tribe. They are traditionally called "Laguz". The Laguz tribe residing here in Gallia is the beast tribe, who possess those feline qualities of which Shinon spoke," the mage shared, though the bitterness in his tongue was still noted.

"The southern isles of the continent are where the bird-men live, and the dragons are of Goldoa," Shinon continued, explaining the locations of each Laguz tribe. "It's a common part of every worthwhile mercenary's knowledge. Looks like you know less than I thought you did, Ike," Shinon goaded, and Ike couldn't help but agree a little bit on the inside. Being a mercenary would take you across many lands, and it would be foolish to go into a land with no prior information of the land or its inhabitants.

"Hm…" Ike hummed, finding himself agreeing with Shinon's harsh criticism. "Perhaps…" The mercenary group continued to traverse the forests in silence until Soren told everyone of their location, as per the map.

"A little farther and we will have exited the forest," he told, after careful deliberation between himself and the map.

"Really?" Shinon said, one of the few times that he didn't scowl or complain about anything. "That means Gallia Proper should be close by!" He then scoffed after a second. "Heh, even a kingdom of hairy half-breeds would be heaven compared to this."

…Then again, Shinon always has something to complain about. There was no time to reprimand the prejudiced sniper, as Greil, who was in the front, leading the band of mercenaries, came to a sudden stop. The rest proceeded to follow his actions and awaited their leader's words. "We're near the edge of the forest. Everyone, combat positions," he commanded, and immediately they obeyed.

"I guess that the Daein army wasn't going to let us slip away so easily," Titania muttered, while Soren tried to relay a strategy to Greil.

"There is no doubt that they will attack again, but formulating an accurate strategy would be a daunting task with no prior knowledge of their numbers or position," the mage decided, clearly exhausting his brain by the tense facial expression he was conveying.

"Take your best guess, Soren," the general chided, seeing that the wind mage was clearly having a mental block at the moment. "With the small amount of details that we do have, what would be the best course of action?"

"Some members of our group have no means of fighting," the mage started, his mind thinking clearly once again like always. "It will be an arduous task to defend them at the same time as attacking Daein troops, if we are caught in an ambush. I propose that we divide into two separate groups: a small fighting force in order to divert the enemy away and give the second group extra time in order to safely escort the princess to Gallia, at maximum speed without interruption," he concluded, and Greil nodded his head, taking the tactician's advice in consideration.

"Wait, dividing our forces? But won't that course of action pose a much higher chance of risk for the diversion group?" Oscar asked, not fully agreeing with Soren's way of handling the forces.

"Well, I believe that this is the best plan in order to keep the fewest number of casualties while yielding the best result and getting our objective completed with the least amount of adversities in the princess' pathway. Most likely, there will be an ambush force waiting for us at the outside of the forest along with the pursuit force which is trailing us at the very moment, and a lack of preparation could lead to the death of everyone." the mage explained, before Greil stepped in to deliver the final verdict.

"Well, considering that there is no other optimal solution to this, we shall give Soren's plan a go. The diversion squad will be me, Shinon, and Gatrie. The rest of you all will guard Princess Elincia and give her safe passage to Gallia. Got it?" Everyone nodded in confirmation.

"Are you sure that you have enough men?" Ike asked, before once again being shot down by Shinon.

"Idiot pup. Smaller numbers would mean higher mobility. Worry about yourself, instead of us, eh?" His insult went answered by silence from the blue-haired teenager.

"Attention, everyone!" Greil called, snapping everyone's eyes to face the leader of his self-titled mercenary group. "This will probably go down as the hardest job we have ever had. I don't want any deaths on me. Say what you want, we're all family. So unless you don't want to hurt your family, drag yourselves to Gallia alive! Ike will command the main force, and Titania will be his supervisor."

"Alright, let's move out!" he commanded, and along with Shinon and Gatrie disappeared into the thick forest, back into the direction of the pursuing Daein forces. Everyone remaining simply kept on their path to Gallia for a while longer, before stopping at the edge of the forest. Looking ahead, Ike peered out from the deep undergrowth to see that the Daein army had indeed set an ambush after the mercenary squad.

"They did have a trap for us after all…" Ike muttered, though the entire company heard what the interim commander said. Giving a silent signal to the rest of the mercenaries, they all came up and witnessed the ambush force for themselves under the cover of the trees. After getting a good measure of the forces, they retreated back into the forest a little bit as to avoid getting caught while coming up with a new plan.

"Well, we cannot have a new strategy entirely, since we are now divided, so we will go with our first agreed motion," Soren observed.

"So we will be the diversion, right?" Ike asked, trying to understand the full scope of the plan.

"Yes, and while we are fighting the Daein troops, Mist and Rolf can go along with the princess and cross the other bridge undetected."

"We have no time to talk about it, so that's the plan."

"Wait…my Lord Ike," Elincia butted in. "I…can fight with you!" she offered.

"No, you won't," he shut down immediately. "Everyone here is risking their lives to ensure your safety, so it will be easier if you stay as far away from the battlefield as possible to avoid crossfire."

"I…see…Well, I will do my part."

"Okay, then it's settled. Mist! Rolf!" Ike called, the two younger ones running over.

"You two go with the princess and make sure that none of you are seen, okay?" he told the two little teenagers.

"Right!"

"Leave it to us Ike! I'm the king of hide-and-seek, and we'll just pretend it's that!" Rolf said, before the three also left out through the left side of the forest to remain unseen from the Daein troops. Once everyone was sure that they had gone, Ike turned to the rest of the mercenaries.

"Everyone ready? Let's go!" he rallied.

XXXXX

You have seen the mercenaries?" the Daein general that oversaw the bridged passageway to Gallia asked his subordinate, who was reporting to him.

"Yes, Emil, sir!" he confirmed.

"Go inform General Petrine at once!" Emil commanded.

"Yes, sir!" the soldier repeated, running past the commander to Petrine's base of operations.

"Everyone, ready yourselves! The mercenaries draw near!" After his command, the soldiers all left to their positions, and he simply waited to hear that the mercenaries had been wiped out and the princess was captured alive. Though he was mystified when there was no one to give the news. To his surprise, the mercenaries had beaten his forces, and were now heading straight for him, after decimating the soldiers.

Soon enough, the mercenaries, with a blue-haired swordsman and a red-haired paladin at the lead were at the other side of the bridge. But, he would not go down without a fight against the sellswords. "Hit the mercenary scum with everything you have!" he yelled to his soldiers in an attempt to boost morale.

It was all for naught however, as the mercenaries broke through the line and were now facing him, the last line of defense before Gallia. He raised his spear, and threw it at the swordsman before grabbing another out of the small compartment of spears that he had. He did not get another chance to throw it as the paladin woman came up to him and slammed him to the ground with her axe, making a deep slice across his chest in the process.

'So…my life ends here,' the commander thought. Emil then found the end of his life when the leader, he presumed, rammed his sword through his chest.

XXXXX

After dealing with the Daein ambush squad, Ike and company were able to safely make it to Gallia, and were greeted by the sight of Mist and Rolf along with the princess at the border. "We made it…" Ike commented, seeing that everyone was still in one piece.

"Brother!" Mist yelled, running forward and hugging her brother.

"My Lord Ike!" Princess Elincia also chimed in, glad to see that the mercenaries safely returned.

"Are you all alright?"

"Yup we're fine!" Rolf answered the ranger.

"So, this is really Gallia? We made it, didn't we? I thought it would be something completely different, but I feel the same," Ike's little sister commented.

"We have made it to Gallia in one piece because of your efforts. Thank you…" Elincia told the mercenaries.

"We cannot celebrate yet," Soren commented, though everyone knew what he was referring to before he vocalized it. "The others have not arrived yet…"

"Well, it's commander Greil we are talking about. They should not have too many problems," Titania mentioned, and everyone knew that Greil was far stronger than any of them, and was able to take care of himself in a fight.

Ike, however, just stood in silence and contemplated his father's whereabouts. He had to go look for his father, but he couldn't bring the princess in harm's way. "Princess Elincia, we're going to have to say farewell here," he told her after much thought. "We're going back to aid our companions. I want you to go along with Mist and Rolf to the Gallian royal palace."

"No! I'll go with you, Ike!" Mist said, not wanting to part from her brother again.

"Mist, listen! I have to go back and get father, and this is the way that will bring everyone back alive," Ike explained. "Trust me, father and I will get back here to you. Have we ever broken a promise to you?"

"Well…no," she admitted, giving up at persuading her brother. "Okay, we'll go ahead," she sighed.

"We'll see you again, I'm sure of it!" Elincia said, trying and succeeding to lift everyone's spirits. Everyone finished their farewells before the trio went off into the woods in the direction of Gallia.

"Soren, where to?" Ike looked to the tactician.

"We can go east, from the road that we previously used. We must make haste to find the commander before we are caught by the reinforcements." With that, the mercenaries took off in that direction, intent on uniting with the other piece of their group.

XXXXX

Turning another corner, Mia was running into an old fort, as not to get captured once again by the Daein soldiers. She had already been captured, and was set to go to a prison before a man by the name of Greil came and rescued her. He told her to find his son, whose name was Ike. Having no such luck, she came into what looked to be abandoned, only to find that the place was filled with the very people she was trying to get away from! She was about to turn tail and leave, until she started to hear clashes of steel.

'Is someone fighting?' she thought. 'I better check it out!' she decided, and closely kept to the walls, and she did not have to go far until she saw the soldiers battling with another group. Mia found that it was the mercenaries that the man was the commander of when she saw a boy with blue hair. 'That must be Ike!'

"Excuse me!" she somewhat yelled, getting the mercenary's attention. "Your name wouldn't happen to be Ike, would it?" she asked, and wasn't surprised to see that he was very defensive from the start,

"It is…But who are you?" he asked, and she wasted no time in answering.

"My name is Mia. I'm a mercenary that was hired by Crimea to bolster their numbers and power."

"What are you doing here?" Ike questioned again, though he was visibly more comfortable knowing that she was an ally.

"Well, I kinda got careless and was caught. I was to be sent to a prison camp, until a man named Greil rescued me." Ike's eyes immediately lit up at the mention of his father and commander.

"You've seen my father? Where?"

"Just a bit north from here. Not too far away, that I can tell."

"Really?" Thank you," Ike thanked gratefully, as he now knew where to find his father.

"So…who are you guys?" Mia asked, starting her round of questions.

"We're the Greil Mercenaries. As you could probably tell, we're fighting the Daein soldiers."

"Wo-ho, you're taking a whole battalion like this?" she asked incredulously. She then adopted a grin on her face. "Well, that settles that!" she confirmed, though Ike was very much confused at the orange-coated mercenary.

"What's settled?"

"I'm coming in on your side. You don't mind right?"

"Oh, not at all, but we don't know if you'll still get paid if you fight," Ike admitted.

"Meh, we'll worry about that stuff later! So, what now, boss man?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Well, we have to get rid of all of the Daein soldiers, but there are many. Can you help Boyd and Oscar take care of the mages? They both have green hair and Oscar's on a horse. That should help identify them," he told the myrmidon.

"Consider it done!" she exclaimed, before running off to aid the two brothers. As for Ike, he was confronted by two Daein knights, and pulled out his Regal Sword; which was given to him by his father in Crimea to deal with them.

With the armor-piercing sword in hand, the two did not last long, as Ike's strength provided too much of a challenge for them. After finishing the knights, Ike went around to see Titania fighting another night across the main hallway. He rushed in to help her, but his and Soren's attention was grabbed by a voice coming from the entrance from the northern room.

"Ha…found you at last. Well, you were a lot more entertaining than I thought you were," a slithery smooth voice said, ceasing a moment of fighting where Ike and Soren were.

"Who are you?" Ike asked, while Soren's eyes went wide at the realization of who this individual is.

"Are you...Petrine? Of the Four Riders?" Soren asked, showing a calculating gaze towards the woman dressed in black. In response, she just made a wider smile.

"You know her, Soren?"

"It's possible that she is one of the four generals who are King Daein's most trusted confidants. She is said to wield a lance of terrible arcane might," the mage summed, sending said Rider into a small laugh.

"Well, someone's done their research. Why, I'm flattered, so I guess I'll make it easy on you. Give me the princess, now. I can't roast the girl along with you curs, or else the king won't be happy," she demanded the mercenaries.

"Hate to break it to you, but the princess isn't here," Ike said to the woman. "She's been in Gallia for quite a while, now." Petrine's face morphed from a smile to a fearsome frown, her eyes cold and angry.

"What kind of nonsense is that?" the woman asked. "Do you expect me to believe you? You scum are not capable of getting through my troops." Before Ike or Soren could reply, a voice coming from the north came out of the hallway.

"I hear that blind arrogance sows the field of one's own destruction," a familiar voice wisely told the Daein general. "I guess that you were the inspiration for that, eh?" Coming out of the shadows was Greil, closely followed by Shinon and Gatrie.

"Father!" Ike yowled, and it took Greil a great deal of effort not to walk over and smack his son for being a complete imbecile yet again.

"Why did you come back, ya dumb pup?" he chastised.

"The princess made it to Gallia, and we decided to look for you afterwards when you didn't rejoin us. The mission wouldn't be complete without the whole group," Ike explained, and while it was of good intention, coming back was still a stupid thing to do.

"…What am I going to do with you?" the commander asked himself loudly. "Well, you still did good work.

"Ignoring me shows that you all are more guts than common sense," Petrine butted in, feeling sickened by the "touching" reunion. "And to think you're the commander of this small troop. I thought you would be someone actually worth seeing, but it seems to me like just another sellsword."

"Really, and are you sure?" Greil retorted. In response, the black-haired general just gave an eerie laugh.

"You know, you'd be a real keeper!" she yelled out, causing all of the men listening to the conversation to inwardly shudder. "His Majesty…Well, let's just say that he loves strong men. You'd make a great souvenir, and a great back. You need not to come quietly, but alive will be necessary. Dead men can only stink, after all."

"Ashnard's twisted game are true, huh?"Greil mused.

"Wait…what's she talking about?" Gatrie asked.

"There's been a rumor that King Daein gathers strong men from around the continent and make them compete in contests. Those that show considerable strength are immediately given high positions, regardless of their birth," Shinon explained. "Never knew it was true, though, but I guess that's the glory of rumors…"

"Shinon, Gatrie!" Greil called, leaving their side conversation to be continued later. "I'll distract the woman. Meanwhile, you two get Ike and the others and get them out of here!" he commanded.

"Got it!"

"Commander, we can't just leave you here!" Gatrie worriedly said, before he was slapped on the back of his head armor by Shinon.

"Idiot! She's no competition for the commander," Shinon scolded, as if talking to a child.

"Alright then, move it! We'll rendezvous in Gallia," Greil said.

"You won't escape me," Petrine said. "Not you nor your little friends. Far too good of an opportunity to pass up."

"You said that you were Petrine, right?" Greil asked rhetorically, refocusing his attention on the general. "Listen, this place isn't big enough for a fight between the two of us. I'm going elsewhere. Would you join me?"

"Do you think I'm dumb enough to fall for such a simple ruse?"

"See, you and I are more powerful than the common person," the mercenary leader continued, ignoring the paladin's question. "A chance for a real contest like this doesn't happen often. I'd like to flex my muscles without any distractions getting in the way, don't you?"

"My, my, don't you know how to charm a lady? Alright, I'll come," Petrine agreed, before turning back to her troops. "I'm leaving you all in charge here! Don't let even one of these Crimean vermin escape from here! I want them exterminated and lifeless by the time I return!" she howled out, followed by a chorus of "yes ma'am" from said soldiers.

"Follow me," Greil told her, and the two went further north through the main hallway in the middle of the room.

XXXXX

As Greil and Petrine went through the hallway, the two were itching to fight each other. No words were exchanged, and none were needed. Soon enough, the two came across a large room with an entrance from every room. "I think this place will work," Greil remarked, going to the far corner of the room, right in front of one of the entrances.

"I concur," Petrine agreed, going to the opposite corner. The two simply stared for a while, before the Daein general begun the fight out of impatience. Pointing her lance at the mercenary, her lance glowed a bright red, and two fireballs were shot out of her weapon. Greil sidestepped the first one, and dissipated the second with a swing of his axe. Using the momentum, the mercenary leader ran towards Petrine where the real contest started to begin.

Lance and axe clashed, and saying Petrine was shocked by the mercenary's strength was an understatement. Quickly retreating back, she shot another fireball, that was once again easily deflected by Greil. Seeing that she couldn't win with magic, she forwent it and tried to grasp an advantage from being on a horse. She sent her lance to strike overhead, while also firing another fireball, utilizing both her physical and magical power. The strike was avoided, but the fireball was sent to the ground and exploded around the two combatants.

Petrine and her horse ran out of the fire, thinking that the battle was won. What they didn't expect was for Greil to jump out the fire, completely unharmed and axe raised. Once again, they clashed and Greil tried to disarm the woman, and it did get knocked out of her hand. Only through pure reflex did she catch it midair before the two separated again, right before Ike and company entered the room where they were, signaling that the Daein troop had been defeated.

"Dog's breath!" Petrine cursed. "You don't look anything special, but you fight like a demon!" she remarked, knowing now that she wouldn't have a chance to defeat the man.

"What's wrong?" Greil taunted, only getting warmed up. "Ready to surrender already? I thought we were just getting started."

"And admit defeat? Don't be absurd…" Petrine started, before a loud voice interrupted the little talk between the two.

"Here they are! Over here!" someone yelled. A few seconds later, a whole squad of some forty soldiers came out of one of the exits.

"Blast!" Ike said. "Father, we have to get out of here! There are too many-" he was interrupted as more reinforcements of the size as the first came through all four exits, effectively trapping the Greil Mercenaries in the room and cutting off any possible escape route.

"Looks like the tides have turned, eh?" Petrine mocked. "All troops, attack at will! Kill them all!" she ordered, and the soldiers were ready to obey.

"Hm…Looks like lady luck's not going to help us now," Greil muttered.

"Father!" Ike yelled, as Greil raised his weapon.

"Ike, you're going to survive this," the man said. "I'm not losing you in this place. Are you ready?" he asked, his voice raising the morale of the mercenaries.

"Yes commander!" Ike confirmed, saying everyone's thoughts.

"You've nowhere to run! Curse whatever gods you behold for they have abando-" Petrine started before she was cut off by a distant, but powerful roar.

"What was that?" Ike asked, though he had a feeling already who it was, and he knew when a second, louder roar reverberated throughout the halls.

"B-b-beasts!" a soldier yelled! "Gallian beast soldiers!"

"Run for your life!" another one yelled. "We're going to die!" Petrine could only roll her eyes at her soldiers' stupidity.

"All of you stand your ground! I will personally slaughter the first man to turn their back on their enemy!" she commanded, believing that she had more authority over her soldiers than they had fear of the beasts.

…She was promptly proven wrong when a mass majority of the reinforcements ran away in the western, southern, and eastern exits. She scoffed at the sniveling cowards. "Hmph, worthless cowards, one and all." It wasn't long before more screams were heard, and the soldiers who tried to escape through the western exit ran back in the room. What was the real kicker though, was seconds later when a squad of Laguz came bursting through the exit where the soldiers tried to escape, and Ike was definitely amazed. There were tigers and cats, and the lead cat stood out the most with their blue fur.

The cat reverted out of his Laguz form, and for some reason the first person Ike thought of was Khimari, looking at the cat who proceeded to speak. "Attention, Daein solders! Leave here at once, or you will face the full strength of Gallia!" he proclaimed, and nearly all of the soldiers were ready to comply with the Laguz's demand. Petrine, however, wasn't the slightest bit perturbed by the threat.

"Threaten me all you like," she retorted, raising her lance in a battle position. "Nothing you can do is going to frighten me off. Even if I do listen to you stinking creatures, His Majesty will have me executed. The least I could do here is die in battle, with my honor intact." After she finished her speech, she raised her lance higher, preparing to send a fireball at the blue-haired Laguz, before she was interrupted by the appearance of a knight appearing through the eastern hall.

This knight was encased in all black armor and a red cape. To Ike, his mere presence was one that commanded attention and exuded power. "You!" the lead Laguz yelled, his expression showing anger at the knight, though he did not transform or anything else considered hostile.

"Withdraw, General Petrine," the knight commanded, completely ignoring the blue cat Laguz.

"The Black Knight…" Petrine muttered.

"As for the king, you have nothing to fear. I shall explain things to him. Take your men and go," the Black Knight elaborated, with no room for argument.

"Tsk! Men, fall back!" Petrine ordered, and her along with her battalion left through were the Black Knight entered. The knight did not follow his fellow Daein General, but instead kept staring at Greil, from what Ike could see.

"He's staring at you, isn't he, father?" Ike asked the commander, though it was a clearly rhetorical question.

"Yeah. He is…" Greil confirmed, staring back at the knight with an equal amount of intensity.

"Hey! Are you going to take us all on by yourself?" the leader of the Laguz troop asked, stepping forward and trying to be as intimidating as possible. The knight said nothing, only taking another look at the mercenary leader before walking out of the room through the way he came. After the Black Knight left, Greil continued to stare at the dark corridor, something that wasn't like him very much at all.

"Father?" Ike asked, snapping Greil out of his stupor.

"It's nothing, Ike…" Greil said somewhat slowly, before turning to the mercenaries. "Let's go!" he said, and the group along with the Laguz exited the castle.

XXXXX

After a little walk through Fort Meritenne, the Greil Mercenaries were welcomed to the sight of Princess Elincia and Mist awaiting them at the exit, much to the surprise of Ike and the others.

"Father! Brother!" Mist yelled at the sight of the two, running forward and hugging Ike, while Elincia simply walked over in a much more sophisticated manner.

"Mist!" Ike said, still a little shocked over the two being there, when they should've been at the capital by now.

"Master Greil and my Lord Ike… I am glad to see you unscathed," the princess greeted, though Ike still needed some questions answered.

"Princess Elincia…Why did you return here?" Ike asked, though that question was answered by the Laguz that caught Ike's eye earlier.

"The princess came and requested Gallian aid for your mercenary company. That's what brought us here," he explained.

"Are you one of Gallia's sub-humans?" Ike asked, and was a good bit confused at the cat's reaction until he realized that he had said the wrong name, with Shinon's insults coming into his mind first before the painful scoldings that Khimari gave him when he used that name.

"Sub-human? Such arrogance it takes to coin such a name! You think that's you're the only one that deserves to be called "human," and so we LAGUZ are beneath you? And by squirrel's law of nature, we are called "sub-human?" Are we really less human than you?" the Laguz ended, with a long and somewhat confusing rant that made Ike even more guilty for his improper word use.

"I'm sorry… That name was imprinted into my mind by a prejudiced person… I apologize for offending you. So, I call you all Laguz, right? That's what Khimari always said…" he muttered at the end, but the cat still heard it, and gave a nice little laugh at the blue-haired swordsman.

"Huh, you have manners, how odd. I like that" the cat remarked. "So Khimari did manner teaching too? That's a shock, but not really I guess." the Laguz said, much to Ike's surprise.

"You know him?" Ike asked.

"Yep! Apparently, I found out yesterday that he was my son. And…he gave me the same look that you all are giving me now," the Laguz said, slowing every word down at the end as all of the Greil Mercenaries stopped their conversations to look at the blue cat with extreme shock, even Greil himself had a mild case of shock at the news, even if he had a hunch of who it was.

"W-Wha?" Boyd just gaped, looking like a fish, while everyone didn't look as crazy as he did, their expression was pretty close.

"You're…Khimari's…father?" Ike slowly repeated, his own eyes wide at the stunning revelation.

"Umm…yeah…" the cat slowly said, scratching his head in a similar fashion to what Khimari usually did when slightly embarrassed or nervous. "Well… we kinda literally crashed into each other, and from there we just started to ask about each other's lives and and…well, ya know him, apparently," he left off, though Ike had an idea of what the wolf did, Boyd had a very different perspective with his guesses.

"He put dirty clothes on your face?" Boyd asked.

"Umm…no…" he replied, very confused at the seemingly random question.

"Did he prank you with vinegar?" Boyd continued. "What about poison ivy? Oh, Khimari loved to use his dead rabbit prank, or maybe it was his fake ghost-"

"Boyd, be quiet, will you!?" Mist yelled, ignoring the stupefied expression of the person that was Khimari's dad."You have been saying those things for years, and Khimari's never been proven that he did any of that, so be quiet!" she said, and though she knew that the wolf did pretty much all of those things; she helped out herself with some of his pranks, he was actually never caught in the act, much to the axe user's chagrin. The two started a small argument, and Ike's attention was once again caught by Khimari's father as he began to speak again.

"Anyways…You are…wait, who are you, exactly?"

"Oh, my name is Ike. Ike of the Greil Mercenaries," Ike formally introduced, a handshake occurring between the two.

"And I'm Ranulf, a warrior of Gallia," Ranulf returned. "After we found some Daein soldiers on Gallian soil, we did not know what to think when news came of a small group of Beorc trampling through the Gallian fields… Imagine how shocked we were to discover that one of them is Princess Elincia," the warrior explained more about the finding of the princess, before his expression grew downtrodden. "Two days ago, Daein proclaimed their conquest. We thought that all Crimean royals were either killed or captured."

"Conquest?" Ike repeated. "They've taken claim of Crimea? So Crimea must be…" Ike left off, before the princess continued where he ended.

"This troubling news was also given to me by my Lord Ranulf…After I fled the castle…My lord uncle Renning…He-he-I…I…" the princess started to stutter, before nearly breaking down in tears.

"Princess Elincia…" Ike muttered, knowing no words to ease the princess' pain.

"That is the reason the king ordered more patrols along our nation's border. It wasn't just lucky moons that brought me and my warriors here to offer you support."

"I see…" Ike said, thankful for the king already for his wise decision making that ended up saving the mercenaries.

"Well, First thing, I must present the princess to His Majesty. As for the rest of your men, Ike, I would have to get orders and clearance from my superiors. There still is an old castle in Gallia that you may be able to rest in, however. Sorry, but I can't bring so many foreign people to the palace without any sort of warning in advance," the Laguz informed.

"I understand. Commander, that's not going to be a problem, right?" Ike asked his father, who seemed to be uncharacteristically spaced out.

"Commander?" Ike pried once more, this time Greil snapping out of his daze.

"Hm? What did you say?" he asked, apparently not hearing what Ike asked of him.

"Something's wrong…You're not paying attention. It's unlike you," Ike noted, though Greil merely swatted the concern away.

"I was thinking about something. So, what is the decision?" he asked, back in full throttle.

"Elincia is going back to the castle with Ranulf. We're going back into Gallia and we'll set up camp at an old castle. Which way is the castle, Ranulf?" Ike shifted his attention to the Laguz, who promptly responded.

"I'll prepare a guide to take you," he offered, before Greil shot the idea down respectfully.

"Don't put yourself through the trouble. We cross the river and go west, to Gebal Castle, correct? You can continue, and get the princess to King Caineghis as fast as you can," Greil intervened.

"Okay. What thoughtful guests you are," Ranulf lightly joked. "Oh, and if it's not too presumptuous, I'll send food to you later," he said.

"It would be much appreciated. The road have been hard, and we could not have more time to salvage naught but hard biscuits and salted meat."

"Then I shall provide!" Ranulf said, before turning to Elincia. "Princess, shall we depart?" She nodded, walking towards the cat.

"Farewell to you all… I will see you all soon, won't I?"

"Mhm," Greil confirmed, much to the princess' delight.

"Take care," Ike said to the leaving cat and princess, before Greil lead the company on to the castle where they were going to spend the night at.

XXXXX

It did not take long for the group to make it to Gebal Castle, and they quickly set up inside the castle for the night. It was not long before one of Ranulf's men sent them food, which Oscar prepared for everyone. It was now long after dark, and the full moon illuminated the deep surrounding black sky over the green canopy of trees. Ike was unable to fall asleep, so he just looked outside of the window. After a while, his eyes were starting to get the faintest bit droopy, until he saw his father leaving the castle.

Bewildered, Ike cautiously left his room and the castle, as not to wake anyone else. He then ran after his father, who was still unaware of his presence. "Father!" he quietly yelled, getting the older man's attention.

"Ike?" the mercenary leader asked in surprise. "What are you doing still awake?" he questioned.

"I couldn't sleep, so I stared outside lying on the bed, and I saw you leaving the castle. Where are you going at this hour?" Ike reflected the question to his father, who scoffed.

"It's nothing to do with you, boy. Bo back and catch some sleep."

"Will you stop treating me like a child?" Ike stubbornly told his father. "I'll do as I please, got it?" he boldly proclaimed. In response, Greil just gave a smirk and a small grunt of laughter.

"You always were a stubborn little pup. Well then, what say we walk and talk?" he suggested.

"…Yeah," Ike agreed, and the two started to walk on the castle trail for a bit, before Greil stopped.

"Tell me, Ike," Greil started. "How are you getting used to the mercenary life? The way that we approach combat?

"I'm definitely a better fighter," he reflected. "But I don't understand why you would put a fresh recruit like me in charge…"

"What's with the complaining? Do you have a problem with some authority?" his father asked, the two walking along once again.

"Give me a straight answer," Ike bluntly responded. "I've only just started. I'm barely able to do my own duties around here, let alone oversee everyone else's. I shouldn't be in charge of anyone."

"You can learn it all at once," the commander told him. "With some experience, it will all start to fall in place.

"It's just a little strange, is all. A while ago, you would have never said or even done anything like this." Ike's voiced suspicions were even more solidified by Greil's silence.

"Is something wrong, father? Why are in such a rush?"

"Ike…" he finally said after a long bout of silence. "Do you remember anything about your mother?"

"What?" Ike splattered, caught off-guard by the question. "Where did that come from?"

"Just answer the question."

"Well…I remember…she was very kind…I think…I don't really remember anything else about her. And you've never said too much about her, either."

Greil stopped for a moment to fully digest his son's words. "Is that so…" he muttered, before they began their walk again for a short while, before he stopped once again, to Ike's confusion and worry.

"Father? What is it?"

"We're done. Leave me and return to the castle," Greil said with an authoritative tone.

"What? Just like that?" Ike interrogated.

"You heard me," Greil retorted. "That's a direct order! Return to the castle immediately!" he commanded, with no more room for argument in his voice.

"But…I…Fine," Ike gave in, turning away from his father to walk back to the castle, as the mercenary leader kept walking through the woods. It was only a minute or so before Ike got back to the steps of the castle, but he couldn't shake the dreaded feeling off of him. 'What is wrong with him? He's never like this,' Ike thought, before turning back into the direction of where his father went. 'I'll make sure he's fine,' Ike decided, before running into the deep forest to find out what was plaguing his father…

XXXXX

A/N: And, another cliffhanger to assure that you hate me enough to love the story and come back! See, it sounds crazy, but if you get it, you're GR8! Well, I bet you guys probably weren't expecting another update until… awhile later, so I decided to surprise y'all with a remarkably quick update! So now, I'm a whole chapter ahead of schedule, and I may be able to squeeze out another before I end up going to camps, and visiting relatives, and family reunions, and yada-yada-yada. But I still hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and remember to fave, follow, REVIEW, and most of all, enjoy! Good morning folks! (I finished this chapter at 12:22 in the morning, see how much I love you all?)


	9. Lion King The Animal Kingdom

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: This is my therapy…I swear this fantasy is helping me keep my sanity, along with my other few hobbies, so I say HAPPY READING! (Hey, that rhymed)

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done_

 _Last time on Blue Wolf,_

 _"Do you remember anything about your mother?"_

 _"What?" Ike splattered, caught off-guard by the question. "Where did that come from?"_

 _"Just answer the question."_

 _"Well…I remember…she was very kind…I think…I don't really remember anything else about her. And you've never said too much about her, either."_

 _Greil stopped for a moment to fully digest his son's words. "Is that so…" he muttered, before they began their walk again for a short while, before he stopped once again, to Ike's confusion and worry._

 _"Father? What is it?"_

 _"We're done. Leave me and return to the castle," Greil said with an authoritative tone._

 _"What? Just like that?" Ike interrogated._

 _"You heard me," Greil retorted. "That's a direct order! Return to the castle immediately!" he commanded, with no more room for argument in his voice._

 _"But…I…Fine," Ike gave in, turning away from his father to walk back to the castle, as the mercenary leader kept walking through the woods. It was only a minute or so before Ike got back to the steps of the castle, but he couldn't shake the dreaded feeling off of him. 'What is wrong with him? He's never like this,' Ike thought, before turning back into the direction of where his father went. 'I'll make sure he's fine,' Ike decided, before running into the deep forest to find out what was plaguing his father…_

 _XXXXX_

"Father, where are you?" Ike asked himself, running back to the mercenary leader in the dead night under the full moon, worried for his safety. His silent question would soon be answered as he ran into a clearing to see that Greil was fighting the night that they had seen after the last fight. They clashed once again, before separating once again. "Father!" Ike yelled, getting the attention of the mercenary.

"Ike? Stay back!" he shouted, seeing that Ike was about to take out his sword and join his father in battle against an opponent he knew Ike had no chance against. His words were heard, as his son stayed on the sidelines begrudgingly, knowing that he would do nothing but slow his father down.

"Here, take this blade," the Black Knight said, throwing the sword in his hand to Greil, the golden blade piercing the ground right in front of the brown-haired man, much to the confusion of the father and son.

"What are you doing?" Greil asked cautiously, as the knight in all black armor drew another sword from its sheathe, this one an all silver blade with similar characteristics to the sword which he threw to Greil.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," the knight said, ignoring Greil's question. "I would prefer if you used your proper weapon…So that I can witness your full power," he challenged, pointing his sword toward Greil. "General Gawain, Rider of Daein," he said to Greil, though not as loud so Ike couldn't hear it.

"That used to be my name," Greil mentioned, picking up the golden sword out of the ground. Then, he threw it back to the Black Knight, its golden edge once again lodged into the earth. "But I threw it away," he continued, picking up his Urvan axe once again. "The only weapon I need…" he stopped, pointing his axe at the knight. "Is right here," he finished, though the knight did not show any such emotion.

"Do you want to die?" he asked after awhile, in a condescending tone that was still hard to distinguish with the helmet distorting his voice. It still carried over to Greil, however, and he found a connection between the voice and one he knew from his past. Upon the realization, the mercenary just gave a "hmph" at the Daein rider.

"That voice…I remember you." No response from the knight. "You think that you can defeat me? The man who taught you to fight? What a fool…" Still no response from the knight in all black armor. "Come on, boy! Try me!" Greil challenged, running up to the knight once again. They clashed once again, though there would be no victory for Greil. After the third clash, the Black Knight went in for the killing blow, and it struck true as the silver sword pierced the mercenary leader's stomach, coming out to the other side.

"Father!" Ike yelled, rushing forward to grab his father as the knight pulled back his sword, Greil stumbling back and holding his wound.

"Is that all there is? No challenge? No resistance?" the Black Knight said, though mostly to himself, it seemed. Ike ignored the knight's words, instead trying to keep his father alive long enough to make it to Rhys.

"Hold on, father," Ike said worriedly.

"Unbelievable…Is this what has become of my teacher?" the knight said to Greil, turning the two towards the general.

"I…Ike," Greil said to Ike, showing that he was still alive and still capable of standing up. Reluctantly, he let go of Greil, who while stumbling, still managed to stay on his feet without resistance.

"Now then…" the knight began again. "Will you give me what I came for?"

"I don't have it…I…threw it away," he responded, though the knight scoffed at the clear lie.

"Huh. You, who knows better than any about what it truly is, threw it away. You are much more capable than that to craft a more plausible lie, but you don't even try."

"I'm…done talking to you," Greil dismissively said, turning around, though the knight had some more…persuasion to say to the wounded mercenary leader.

"So there will be no way for me to get my answers, is that it?" the Black Knight said rhetorically. "The dead keeps their secrets, or so it is said…but you are not dead yet, however. I wonder…if I showed you the corpse of your slain adopted child, or your own son's face growing pale as the life bleeds out of his eyes, before your own," he started to threaten, turning the resistant man toward the knight once again, his eyes bulging in horror. "And your daughter…Oh, the many horrors I will visit upon her. Will that loosen your tongue, I wonder? I suppose that we will have to see," he finished, advancing towards Ike.

"What?" Ike said, quickly drawing his sword, though not fast enough before the Black Knight shoved him away right next to the sword he tried to give Greil. "…Urk…" he wheezed, trying to use the sword to get back up after being thrown like a ragdoll.

"Ike!"

"I will not check my hand again. Give me what I am after," the knight demanded. "If you comply without anymore resistance, your child will live to see daylight once more."

"You…will not touch my son!" Greil yowled at the top of his lungs, and to the surprise of all currently in the clearing, a mighty roar was heard that echoed throughout the forest.

"…What is this? The king of beasts…Should I retreat? How troublesome…" the Black Knight mused to himself, until the sound of a sword reached his ears. Turning around, he saw Ike holding the golden sword in a battle position, daring the knight for a battle.

"You're not going anywhere," Ike challenged, pointing the sword to the knight.

"Tell me, is the son as stupid as his father?" the knight asked, drawing his sword once again.

"Ike…" Greil started before flinching once again at his wound. "You…can't win this battle."

"But, fa-"

"Ike!" Greil said forcefully, and Ike listened to his injured father, slowly putting the sword down.

"You will not continue?" the Black Knight asked rhetorically, raising his sword to Ike. "Then I will finish-" He was interrupted by a louder roar than the last one, signaling that the one was closer than they once were.

"…So close. I am not in good time to deal with him now," he mused once again, before turning to Ike. "You get to keep your head today, boy." Before anyone could mutter a retort, the knight started to glow a bright light, disappearing over an array of symbols that appeared under his feet. Ike immediately went back to his father's side, picking the man up once again, ignoring the mysterious pounding rain that was occurring.

"So willful…arrogant…Then again…The one…who made him that way…w-was me…" Greil said to himself, while he was slipping away, much to Ike's concern.

"Father! I…I have to get you to the castle!" he told the older man, knowing that the only one who could fix this was Rhys. Decided, Ike took his father on the daunting trip back to the nearby Gallian castle, doing his best as he knew that his father did not have long before it was too late.

"Ike…"Greil quietly said to his son, grabbing surprised attention from the blue-head.

"Your awake?" Ike asked, thinking that his father fell asleep during the road, and now the castle was in sight.

"I…need t-to tell you some…thing," Greil wheezed, his breathing becoming labored and shortened.

"Tell me later," Ike objected, not wanting him to waste his energy. "I'm getting you to the castle."

"Forget revenge…" he continued anyway. "Leave that knight alone…Stay…away…"

"What?"

"Stay with the…king…Live…here in…peace." They had reached the front clearing, and the stairs were mere steps away.

"Father, stop talking. You're wasting your strength," Ike chided.

"I need you to take care of everything…The company… Mist," Greil continued, before closing his eyes for one last time, unknown to Ike at the moment.

"You shouldn't say such things!" Ike told the dead man, though he still didn't know. "It'll be light soon. You'll be fine…" he told himself, though at this point he was ignoring the dark pit that placed itself in his stomach. Deluding himself that everything would be alright, and that they could go to how it used to be…

"A little longer…Just…Stay a little longer…"

XXXXX

Waking up in the middle of the day after coming out of the realm of the unconscious again, Khimari wasted no time in getting out of bed, only to fall right on his face when a great wave of pain hit every muscle in his body. Fighting to get up, he reverted back to his regular form, and forced himself up, using the wall as support until he could stand on his own two feet, rather shakily, one might add.

Slowly and carefully going up to the door, he opened it to see the Laguz that he saw the night before he came into the palace…Lethe, was her name, he thought.

"Hmph," she grunted, looking at the wolf with a mild amount of disdain, though it was well hidden, from what he could tell. "You're up?" she asked rhetorically, and continued before Khimari could give a response. "The king would like to see you."

With that, the two started the trek from Khimari's temporary room to the throne room. Lethe's impatience had led her to walk at a brisk pace, forcing Khimari to fight through his pain to keep up with her. "What's wrong with you?" she asked, slowing down after seeing him wince in pain another time.

"…I got the crap beat out of me…" he bluntly said.

"I could tell that from when Ranulf brought you back into the castle. You looked like you were on death's door," she remarked, though she had to suppress a small shudder at the sight of the bloody and beaten wolf being carried into the palace by his father.

"Don't mention it…" he muttered under his breath, giving the cat a smirk on her face. The two continued the walk to the king in silence, before Lethe's curiosity led her to ask another question.

"How was it like…being raised among humans?" she asked, much to Khimari's surprise. "Ranulf told those he trusted about you, and the resemblance was too uncanny to simply pass over, as well," she elaborated to how she knew of Khimari's origins.

"It's…just like a regular family," Khimari said, thinking of his response thoughtfully.

"I would not trust them…" she carefully advised.

"They are not like that!" Khimari denied, knowing that the Greil Mercenaries were all trustworthy…Shinon notwithstanding. "I would trust all of them with my life."

"Open your eyes!" Lethe hissed, angry that the humans are still taking over the minds of Laguz after all of these years. "Do you know see that they have tamed you!?"

"…I may have been with Beorc most of my life, and I do consider some family, but I will NEVER be tamed and controlled like some dog, got it?" he retorted. Shocked at his conviction, Lethe turned around and looked into his slitted eyes to see a look of a pure Laguz; the eyes of a true warrior. In silence, Lethe turned back around and the two continued to walk to the King.

'He has been around humans so long, yet his eyes… They're still the same as one of us…' Lethe thought. 'Are humans…can they be trusted?' she pondered to herself, seeing after being around them for so long, he still had the look like any other Gallian. Actually, even more so than most now that she thinks of it.

Stopping her pondering for a moment, she arrived at the door to the throne room and opened it, knowing that Skrimir wasn't presently in the castle. The two walked through the small corridor once again, and the two saw the throne once again in a matter of moments, where King Caineghis was looking out at his kingdom, in deep thought before turning his head to see the two Laguz standing there.

"Oh, so he has awakened?" he said, before turning to Lethe. "Thank you, Lethe. You may leave us now."

"Yes, Your Majesty," she curtly responded, before leaving the room. The king waited until the sound of the door closing was heard before saying anything.

"Ranulf told me of your fight with the knight in all black armor…" the king started. "…As well as an aura that came from you in the final moments of your battle. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

Khimari's face showed that he was thinking very much about the battle between himself and the knight, and he did recall the aura, as well as what happened before it. As he tried to scramble through his memories for anything useful, one thing in particular stood out the most.

"A girl…" Khimari started, perking the king's head up. "A girl with orange pigtails…crying at a lake…" he blankly said, much to King Gallia's confusion, though he made a point to remember everything that he said right now.

"…Is there anything else?" he asked.

"From the battle, no…" Khimari left off, and the king thought that maybe a little history lesson would be beneficial to finding about the aura.

"Young one, what do you know of the Dark God?" Caineghis asked.

"The Dark… God?"

"It seems you know naught of this… Prepare yourself, this is an important part of the history of the world," the king advised the young Laguz. Taking a deep breath, Caineghis started the story of the world.

"Long ago, the Dark God was rampant, and Ashera had to put a stop to it. So she gathered three warriors and named them her champions, blessing them to fight the Dark One and defeat her. The three carried out their tasks, and completed it, though not without repercussions. The Dark God's power was so great, that a legendary tsunami came and drowned the world, every place other than Tellius meeting a watery grave. In order to prevent the Dark God from causing more destruction, a Heron of legend, Lehran, sealed it into a medallion to save Tellius from the God's destruction."

"…"

"Now, the war must never be blazed by warfare, or the Dark God will rise out of the medallion once again and destroy us all," Caineghis finished. He turned to see that Khimari had listened to everything he said, and was now in deep thought.

"…"

" The reason why I tell you this is that in times of warfare, the medallion will glow a deep blue aura, not unlike the one Ranulf described you had when you fought the Daein knight."

"…What happens…if someone touches the medallion?" Khimari asked.

"When someone who is not a Heron touches a medallion, they lose all sense of mind, and they are taken over by chaos, becoming killing machines," Caineghis answered.

"How do you know all of this?" Khimari asked again, now knowing how important the medallion is that Mist carries is. "Is anyone still alive from that time?"

"Actually, yes. Goldoa's King, Dheginsea, was one of Ashera's three warriors chosen to defeat the Dark God. Why did you ask?" Caineghis asked, curious about the sudden barrage of questions. As a thought crossed his mind, his eyes opened in realization. "Do you know…of this medallion?"

Sighing, Khimari closed his eyes and looked down. "…Yes, I do, and I've touched it before," he confirmed, much to the king's surprise.

"What!?" the king yelled. "You touched it? What…happened?" the king questioned, after calming himself at the news.

"I was…surrounded by blue light, like that night…I saw…a giant flood, the girl…crying…dreaming," he said, only serving to bring more questions than answers. "That's all I can think of…"

"Do you know where the medallion is?"

"…I don't know," Khimari lied. While he did trust Caineghis, he did it to protect the mercenaries, specifically Mist. The less people that knew, the better. He only hoped that this would never be found out, or else many people would be in extreme danger.

"Oh..." Caineghis left off. Just then, a knock came on the door.

"Enter!" the king bellowed, his voice containing the regal tone of a king as it carried through the room. The two entered, and it was revealed to be Ranulf, along with a woman; a teenager, she looked like, who Khimari had never met.

"Khimari!" Ranulf exclaimed, running over to the wolf. "When did you get up?"

"Not too long ago."

"Well, that's a relief!"

"Ahem…" King Caineghis cleared his throat, bringing their attention away. It was then, Ranulf realized that he ignored the king, and that wasn't a good thing to do.

"I apologize, my king!" Ranulf quickly said, bowing down.

"I understand, you have done no wrong, Ranulf. Next time, let yourself not get carried away, perhaps?"

"Yes, sir!"

"It is a pleasure to see you again, King Caineghis," the Beorc girl said, doing a formal bow in her orange dress.

"As to you, Princess Elincia." At her name, Khimari shot his dad a questioning glance. His response was to send a look that said, "I'll tell you later."

"Also, I feel it is my place to tell you this grave news, Princess," Caineghis started, getting the attention of everyone. "I am saddened to inform you that Greil was murdered in the darkness of last night. I tried to rush to his aid, but I was not able to make it in time. Things may have been different, if only I'd been faster." He held his head down in grief, as the room was quiet in honor of the fallen leader. Khimari had a great piece of mind tell him to run to Ike and Mist right now and help them, but he knew that he could barely make it to the throne room. Not to mention, he didn't even know where the Greil Mercenaries were staying, or even that they were in Gallia, for that matter.

"Master Greil…" Elincia choked, trying her hardest to hold back tears, and honestly, Khimari was too.

"Everything is ready, but we felt that they needed a moment to grieve before sending for them to come to the palace. Tomorrow, we will send for them to the palace, and together we'll decide our next move together about Daein," the lion continued.

"Yes…that is most kind of you, Your Majesty," Elincia responded. "I will pray to Ashera that my Lord Ike and the others will make it here in one piece as well."

"That is a most thoughtful decision, princess."

"Thank you," she thanked the Gallian King. "Sir Ranulf, would you mind taking me back to my room?" the princess asked.

"It would be my pleasure, princess," the cat replied. "By your leave." With a nod from the king, the two left the throne room, and upon the door closing Khimari's head snapped to Caineghis.

"Your Majesty, may I-"

"No, you may not leave to go to the Greil Mercenaries. I would let you, but your injuries are far too severe for you to be making any trips at the moment, especially more so as you don't even know where they are." Khimari put his head down, knowing that every single thing the lion said was true. "However," Caineghis continued, perking Khimari up from his slouch. "You will heal fast, and on the morn of tomorrow you will go with Lethe and Mordecai to help bring the rest of the mercenaries to the palace."

"T-Thank you, king!" Khimari said, grateful that he still will get to see the mercenaries. "Am I able to go out into the city, as well?"

"…Well, I guess it can be allowed, as you can stand without your legs giving out now," Caineghis observed. "Just be careful not to overdo it."

"Yes, sir!" he said. "By your leave?" The lion just gave a great laugh in response to the wolf Laguz, similar to when he first saw Khimari.

"You need not to ask me that, youngling, though it is satisfying that you possess more respect than the common Laguz."

"Thank you, king," Khimari said, before exiting the room. Following the way he did last time, with Ranulf, he found his way out of the palace without much trouble and took to actually tour the city.

Like usual, it was bustling with Laguz, all over the place. There were merchants and other people, all talking together. It was really an amazing sight to behold. Looking around, Khimari could see two Laguz having an arm wrestle with each other, while some others were simply doing daily things. Then, he heard a sound of fighting. Interested a little bit, he walked into a tavern like place, with a whole mass of Laguz gathered together.

Walking up a bit, and weaving through the crowd, he finally found a place to witness what was happening. Khimari saw that two Laguz; a cat and a tiger were fighting in a battle, much like in an arena place for Beorc, he saw. The wolf arrived to see the cat losing the fight, before the tiger pounced on the smaller feline, and pinned him down to the floor, sending the poor cat into unconsciousness. The cat untransformed as he was sent into the dark blissful world that Khimari had the pleasure of meeting so many times lately.

"Are ya new here?" a voice asked, making Khimari turn to see another tiger, this one a gray tiger, from what he could tell.

"Y-yeah," Khimari stuttered, much to his own displeasure. The tiger just laughed at the wolf.

"Heh, you're new alright. I'm Meizo," he introduced.

"Khimari," he responded.

"So, Khimari, up for a fight?" Meizo asked. Khimari shook his head, not exactly keen on doing that right now. Not to be misunderstood, it looked a little fun, but he was hurt enough as it was.

"Not really."

"Aw, come on!" Meizo goaded, intent on seeing the wolf in combat. Khimari just rolled his eyes and stayed silent, shaking his head as a negative once again. "Don't be like that," he said, before an idea came into his head. "Hey, everyone!" he yelled, getting everyone's attention. "We've got a newbie!"

'Son of a-' Khimari did not get to finish his thoughts as he was shoved to one side of the fight gate, before being shoved into the fighting pit. Landing on his feet, Khimari looked to the other side to see the tiger from the earlier fight. 'Well, shit,' the Laguz silently cursed, especially as the announcer got in the middle of the arena, before starting his little pre-battle speech.

"Alright, folks! Looks we have another challenger of the reigning champion, Scar!" he announced, before looking to Khimari. "Good luck, kid, and try not to get killed." Before he retreated back to the front of the arena, while the tiger on the other side of Khimari just gave guttural laugh.

"Fresh meat, I see. Let's see if this prey has some fight in 'em," the tiger said to himself, before transforming into his Laguz form. Seeing as he had no choice in the matter, Khimari transformed as well, once again blue light fading away to reveal his wolf form. This got people interested, as many of the people here haven't known of wolves, due to their migration many years ago.

As soon as Khimari finished transforming, the tiger shot at him as fast as he could, which to the wolf as compared to others he fought, wasn't very fast. Before reaching Khimari he jumped into a pounce, claws outstretched and ready to shred. Acting quick, Khimari whipped around the tiger before launching an attack himself, scratching the tiger's back leg.

The tiger tried to retaliate, but was too slow as Khimari simply hopped back a step as the tiger's paw struck thin air. Going back in the offensive, the wolf dug his claws into Scar's side. The tiger would not easily go down, as he threw Khimari across the arena into a wall with a mighty shake. His pains from the battle with the Black Knight started to resurface, the old aches and pains starting to revive across his body.

The champion would give him no mercy, however, rushing at the wolf with the intent of claiming another win in his name. The wolf stood his ground, and growled loudly at the incoming tiger. The audience quieted as they realized this was the climax of the battle. Khimari waited until the tiger got closer…closer…

Then it happened in what seemed like a heartbeat. Scar pounced, at the same time Khimari ran under the tiger before leaping under him, throwing the tiger under him onto the harsh ground. A small tussle ensued, though Khimari's injuries would prove to be a disadvantage as he was pinned by the tiger, who unlike with the cat was going for a killing bite…

Once again, something awakened within Khimari, being in a near-death experience once again, though no aura appeared like with the knight. His pain from the injuries left him as a burst of adrenaline came, and he pushed the tiger off with all of his strength, slamming the feline into the wall so hard that the metal bars were slightly dented. Still in his self-preservation mode, Khimari ran forward before pouncing, and with his paws slamming the tiger's head into the arena wall once again, before jumping back to see Scar slumped against the wall, untransforming as a sign he had been beaten.

In a Laguz moment of pride, Khimari let out a wolf howl in victory, before all the Laguz in the tavern started to cheer loudly. Remembering where he was, Khimari quickly untransformed and left the arena, weaving through the giant crowd to the back of the tavern where nobody could see him.

"Nice!" a voice he had recently heard before complimented, shocking the Laguz into turning around to see Meizo standing right behind him. "I didn't know you had it in ya, but you really did a number on that guy! He'll be seein' stars n' mice for a while!"

"I should scratch your face off right now…" Khimari threatened, though the tiger only laughed.

"Well, you can try. Anyways, what kind of Laguz are you? It looked kinda like a cat, but I'm not thinking it was that," Meizo mentioned.

"A wolf, I thought I would never see another with my eyes again…" another voice broke into the conversation. The two looked to see another Laguz, an elderly cat, walking toward them out of the direction of the large crowd.

"Genji? I didn't know you came to these things…" Meizo said, though the cat simply ignored the tiger's remark in favor of looking at the wolf even more.

"No Gallian has seen a wolf since they left on a trip to find a new place to call home, before everyone was returned back to Gallia after slavery was outlawed. We thought they were exterminated by the Beorc empires," the old cat continued.

"Ah, don't let him get you into his tales, though he does have a point about you bein' a wolf."

"Yeah…" Khimari agreed, before leaving as the cat and tiger got into another discussion. To his surprise, the sun was nearly gone from the sky, a pink hue glazing the evening sky as the big ball of light retreated from the sky, being overtaken by the encroaching darkness.

'I'd better get back to the castle before the king send someone to get me,' the wolf hastily thought on his way to said palace. It didn't take long to get back, considering it was the largest place in the whole city, it would be insulting to not be able to identify it. Going into the castle, he found his room, and entered it to find that it had an extra bed in it; most likely for Ike and the others when they get there.

Getting back on the bed, he transformed, before doing his nightly ritual of three circles before lying down to rest, finally glad that nobody had to knock him into sleep for once in the last week.

XXXXX

Morning came, and the sun had not yet risen when Khimari awoke from his slumber. Jumping off the bed. Khimari stretched his legs, and was pleased to hear some very satisfying cracks and pops. He was also glad to feel that his injuries were pretty much gone, besides a few dull aches that went away with a few stretches.

Transforming into his two-legged form once again, Khimari opened the door to see Lethe getting ready to open the door to his room. "Ah!" she said in surprise at seeing the door open, before quickly regaining her composure in the blink of an eye. "Nice to see you're prepared. Come, Mordecai is already outside." Following the cat, the two went outside of the palace to see that the blue tiger was indeed waiting for the two to arrive.

"Is Khimari ready?" With a nod in response, the three transformed, and they all took off to towards the castle to bring Ike over to the palace, with Lethe in the lead, followed by Khimari and Mordecai bringing up the rear.

The trip was silent, nobody speaking to each other as the Laguz made their way to the country's border, where the castle was. Their pace was steady, only slowing down slightly after a heavy rain started to occur, and the trip took about a total of two hours, judging by the clouds being slightly lit up by the sun, which was slowly climbing to its apex in the sky.

Upon reaching their location, Mordecai let out a growl, alerting the other two to stop and look at the tiger. "Mordecai, what do you sense?" Lethe asked.

"Much iron up ahead. Armor, and soldiers, in great number," the tiger relayed, putting the two on edge.

"Daein…" Khimari muttered, to which Lethe agreed.

"In this case, we will all separate," she advised. "Mordecai and I will take the sides of the castle. Khimari, you will start at the northern wall, and join up with Mordecai at about the same time as he reaches the eastern entrance from the forest's end. Understood?" she finished. Two growls of confirmation answered her question.

"When you hear my first victim, that's the signal to start. Move out!" she hissed in finality, and she stayed in her position, while Mordecai and Khimari went to the right and left, respectively. Once in position, Khimari set his sights on the nearest victims, two knights at the staircase, and pinpointed his attack path through the left side of his point of view. Crouching down into a hunting position, Khimari waited until the signal came…

"Aaahhh!" a pained cry yelled, reverberating throughout the area, and with that, the wolf set off the surprise attack. Going straight for throats, he silently killed every single one of the Daein soldiers, the only sound coming out a silent gurgle as they fell to the ground. He noticed Mordecai in the farthest reaches of his eye, but kept going with the proposed plan, until he made it to the castle entrance, Mordecai catching up just a few seconds later.

Coming to the front, he saw Ike breathing heavily, littered with wounds as Mist stood by her side, along with the last Daein soldier remaining, trying to retaliate against Lethe before getting killed along with all of the other black clad soldiers.

"Is this why people fear the Laguz?" Ike silently asked himself, slightly unnerved at seeing this amount of carnage done in a matter of a minute, or even less by only three Laguz.

Untransforming, Mordecai and Khimari came into Ike and Mist's view, and Mist's expression did a complete change, worry transforming into relief.

"Khimari!" she yelled, jumping onto the wolf in a hug. Hugging the little Beorc teen back, Khimari just let her stay there for a second, before putting her down gently.

"Hey, kiddo," he returned, before Mist let out a little sneeze. "Hm, you're getting something. Come on inside before you get sick," he requested to the brown-haired girl, who agreed with a nod and a yawn. Leading the way, Lethe, Mordecai, Soren and Ike followed the two into the fort, and while Khimari was helping Mist get dry, the four were having a conversation.

"So…" Ike started, scratching his head as he never really talked to a Laguz like this before, not counting Khimari and Ranulf. "Are you two the ones the king sent from the palace?"

"Yes, he did. I am Mordecai, warrior of Gallia," he introduced, before noticing something about Ike. "Your hair is blue. You're Ike. Is this correct?"

"That's right, I'm Ike. And, thank you for saving us back there."

"Ranulf and Khimari told me Ike is not bad person. Ike and Mordecai…We will become friends," he said, smiling. Walking back over to the conversation, Khimari couldn't help but smile as well, seeing as the tiger said nearly the exact words to him as well.

"You don't know that," Lethe interjected, eyes glowing with distrust. "It's too soon to know if we can trust that Beorc yet. You know all humans have two faces," she scathingly shot, switching from the proper name to the insult at the end. Khimari was moving to speak in defense of Ike, though it seemed that Mordecai beat him to it this time.

"Lethe!" Mordecai chastised, not pleased with her unnecessary hostility.

"Beorc? What's that?" Ike asked, clueless about the proper name for beings such as himself.

"That's what you are," Lethe sharply said. "We with the power are called Laguz. You soft, hairless things with no power at all are called Beorc," she explained, saying Beorc as if spitting out venom.

"What did you say?" Ike asked, feeling a good bit offended, along with his exhaustion making his patience wear thin.

"Lethe," Khimari calmly said. "You should know not all Beorc are the same. If you took the time to figure that out instead of judging everyone at face value, you would figure that out," he said in a cold tone, uncharacteristic of the normally carefree Laguz.

"Most Beorc call us by hated names, and look at us with scornful eyes. "Sub-human?" Pah! Is that how humans really treat their friends? Or even allies?" she replied harshly at the wolf, only stopping when she received a withering glare from the one she was speaking to.

"…You're right," Ike replied to the prejudiced cat. "Some of us use that name for to easily. Maybe if we take the time to think about it, we would realize that it's not a polite term. I'm sorry, but some know you by no other name." he apologized, though Lethe was far from content.

"By no other name? Are we really that unimportant compared to you, human?" she hissed. "You, who forced us into being slaves? You forget quickly, but we Laguz still remember! We remember about the suffering which came about from your hands. The king can do whatever he wants, but I will not trust you. This is your warning, never speak to me in such a way!" Silence followed the Gallian's words, until another voice broke the empty air.

"What is your point? Did you travel all this way to complain to us? Typical of sub-humans," Soren remarked, sending the other two Laguz into a frenzy as Khimari just sighed. Even after years, the mage couldn't let go of what the Laguz did to him.

"Scum who use that name are enemies of Gallia!" Lethe yelled in a fresh bout of anger, using words to further fuel Mordecai's rage.

"Grrr… Sub-human? Enemy…he is enemy…" the tiger growled, transforming into his Laguz form.

"The only thing that would even be considered human is your conceit, foul beasts!"

"Mordecai, kill him!" she commanded, using his anger to remove another Laguz hater from the face of Tellius. With a mighty roar, Mordecai leaped at the mage, who stood without moving a muscle…

Before Mordecai could get to Soren, however, Ike ran forward and shoved the mage out of the way, taking the hit as Mordecai crashed into the swordsman, throwing him a good distance across the castle entrance room. Immediately, Khimari helped him up, aiding the mercenary who was currently a good bit dizzy.

"Ow…" he muttered.

"Ike!" Soren said in concern, as Mordecai reverted back to his regular form.

"Ike…I am sorry…Mordecai did not mean to hurt Ike," the tiger apologized, clearly guilty for his actions.

"You hairy beast!" Soren yelled, his fists shaking with anger at what the Laguz did to Ike.

"Soren! Stand down!" Ike commanded, the mage reluctantly agreeing to his demand.

"Why do you stop me?" he asked his commander. "He could have killed you! He mustn't be allowed to-"

"None of this wouldn't have happened had you not provoked him in the first place," Ike chided.

"But was only…" Soren started, before the realization came that it was his fault. He let his hatred take control of him, and it got Ike hurt. "I'm sorry," he apologized, downtrodden as he exited the scene to his temporary room. Silently, Khimari followed the wayward mage, until Soren stopped at his door to open it, he made himself known.

"Soren," he called, turning the wind user's head to the approaching wolf.

"…What do you want?" he said dismissively, clearly not in the mood to talk.

"Maybe a greeting would be in order before you try to send someone off, don't ya think?" Khimari retorted, ignoring the mage's hostile tone. He then sighed as he laid his back on the castle wall, his multi-colored eyes resting on Soren's face. "You need to let go of the past," the Laguz bluntly said.

"But, those sub-humans-"

"Tell me," he interrupted. "Am I a sub-human?"

"Well, you aren't, although-"

"According to your definition I am, so insulting them is the same as insulting me. Not all Laguz are the same, and someone as smart as you are should know that. So next time, maybe give them a chance before you go off saying "sub-human" again, mk?"

"…Your kindness is just like Ike's, a great boon, but a shining weakness," the mage observed. "You sooner or later will learn that they will never come to accept me, no matter how nice I act towards them." In response, Khimari gave a snort to the mage's insecurity.

"Why? Because you're a Branded?" Soren's eyes bulged wide at the piece of information, his greatest secret that no one knew being said as if it was common knowledge.

"How did you kno-"

"Smelt it," he interrupted once again. "Yet, I say you're still just another one of us. A mark and mixed blood doesn't mean that you're cursed, or that you have to be cruel to the world." Silence followed his words, and the quiet atmosphere remained as Soren opened his room door and closed it without another word.

Sighing, Khimari walked down the stairs to find Ike coming up from the main level. "You talked to him?"

"Yeah. He was taking it pretty hard, but he'll be fine," he replied. "So…how'd you end up here?" the wolf asked, honestly curious to see what in fish skin happened.

"Well, long story short, we ended up in a skirmish with Daein, we were forced to leave the base when they tried to capture the Crimean Princess, Elincia, and we end up here on a mission to bring her to the king," he summed up. "What's your story? I doubt it's as crazy as ours."

"Well, considering I was attacked by a Laguz with anger issues, dragged to the Gallian kingdom unconscious, met my real dad, nearly got killed by some knight in black armor-yes, THAT one," Khimari stopped, seeing his surrogate brother's eyes nearly blow out of his head.

"When? Where is he?" Ike interrogated. "He killed father…he needs to pay," he declared, tightening his fists.

"Ike," Khimari sighed. "I fought him the night before Greil was killed, and I can tell you right now, the only thing you'd be doing is giving yourself a one-way funeral walk."

"But-"

"Nothing. If he beat me, when I pulled out everything I had, and beat Greil, what chance do you think you have?" the Laguz harshly asked, a tone of finality that didn't invite any sort of rebellion of his statement.

"…None, I guess. That doesn't mean I can't get stronger, though," Ike agreed.

"Now that's what I like to hear. We both need to do that, so consider me along, too," Khimari said, showing a grin.

"Come on, we have to pack our things for the trip, and some extra help would be nice," Ike told him.

"Just show me what to do, boss," Khimari replied, the two going to the rooms to help prepare for the next phase of the journey.

XXXXX

It was now morning as the mercenaries finished packing last night, but were put off by the delay it took to pack everything. Last night, Khimari met the two newest members, as well as the merchant caravan. Now, he was just checking with everyone to see if they were ready, as per Ike's request, and was nearing Mist's room after visiting everyone else's. Knocking on the door, he waited until a quiet "come in" was heard. Turning the door knob, Khimari opened the door to see Mist standing at the window hole in her room.

"Oh, Khimari, good morning," she said.

"Morning…How are you doing?" the Laguz asked.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I was fine, but I'm trying my hardest," she admitted. "But ya know, after looking at the sky and the sun shining on my face, I couldn't just help but notice that I'm still alive. I told Ike the same thing earlier, we'll live life to the fullest to honor mom and dad, and you'll do it too!" Mist declared, looking up at the sun once again before shifting her gaze on her other big brother.

"Yep, keep thinking like that and your future will be just as bright as that sun," Khimari promised, pinching the teenager's cheeks like the old times. "Well, make sure you're ready, Ike says we're leaving out in a few minutes."

"Umm, can you help me carry my things? It's not much, but…"

"Okay, I don't mind," Khimari agreed, going over and getting Mist's things, and the two exited the room and went down to meet everyone else out at the castle entrance. "We're here," he told Ike and the others.

"Okay, let's go," Ike directed, and the Greil Mercenaries followed the two Gallians on their way to the palace. Along the trip, time passed by slowly, with everyone just letting it pass by enjoying the scenery or with simple small talk. Even Khimari himself found himself engaged in a rather interesting conversation with Mia.

"…Is that really how it works?" Khimari asked, somewhat skeptical about Mia's way of dealing with armored knights.

"Yeah! Just knock the guy on his helmet until he feels dizzy!" she reiterated.

"Um…okay… Well, what else do you-" Khimari was asking, until the two were distracted by a somewhat loud growl that was revealed to come from Ilyana. "Ilyana, are you okay?" Khimari asked the purple-haired mage.

"Oh, I'm fine, just…hungry," she admitted, rubbing her stomach a little bit.

"Well…" Khimari started, before seeing a fruit hanging off of a tree. Going to the tree, he climbed near the top and picked the fruit off of the tree, and jumped down before handing it to the thunder mage. "Here ya go! Eat up!" he offered, which she took.

"T-Thank you, you're so kind," she thanked, before taking a rather large chunk out of the apple. "W-What is your name again? I w-want to remember people…who feed me," she said.

Raising an eyebrow, Khimari answered her question. "My name is Khimari."

"Khimari…" she repeated, closing her eyes for a second, before taking another bite out of her apple.

"Everyone, form up!" Titania's voice ordered, catching everyone's attention. Gathering together, Titania reported back to Ike. "Ike, everyone's here!" the paladin confirmed after skimming her eyes through the gathered people.

"Alright, everyone, let's go!" he shouted, before heading over to the merchants, Muston and…the twin guy.

"Can you take Mist and Rolf with you, and stay to the rear?" Ike asked.

"Of course," Muston replied.

"We're counting on you," the guy with yellow hair…Daniel, maybe, said. With that, the two along with the teens went back to the place where the supplies were being held, away from the battlefield.

"Alright, everyone who can fight, ready your weapons!" Ike leaded. "Mercenaries, move out!" he directed, pointing his sword toward the Daein leftovers. Just before the group could move out however, a yell tore away Ike's attention.

"Wait! Ike!" A voice, who was revealed to be Mist called, as she ran over to her brother along with Rolf.

"Mist!" Ike admonished. "You and Rolf get out of here!"

"No, we're going to fight with you, the both of us," she demanded.

"With what weapons?" Khimari butted in, obviously not sold on that idea.

"Here! With this!" she said, holding up a heal staff.

"A staff?" Ike asked, unaware that Mist could use it.

"Yep! I made Rhys teach me how to use it!" Ike quickly sent a look at Rhys, who nodded, showing that Mist was indeed telling the truth. "I can heal injuries. Well…little ones, but-"

"Little ones? Uh-uh, there's no way you're going on the battlefield-Rolf?" Ike asked, as the youngest of the three brothers stepped forward, with a bow in hand.

"Rolf! Stop being a spoiled brat!" Boyd yelled at the kid.

"I'm fighting too! I can use a bow!" he said, raising said weapon up for all to see.

"Wow, how long did it take you to make that lie?" Boyd asked sarcastically.

"I' m not lying!" the younger brother defended.

"Yeah! He's not lying!" Mist assisted. "He's always practicing with his bow, and he's really good at it!"

"And when did you learn to use a bow?" Ike interrogated.

"Well..umm…I just…learned it…naturally?" Rolf stumbled, obviously trying to hide something.

"Stop lying, brat! You just don't pick up a weapon and go firing away! Someone has to teach you the basics, at the very least!" Boyd said, and truthfully, he was right.

"Well, maybe I'm just a prodigy, cuz' I learned it all by myself!" Rolf childishly retorted, though it was a clear lie, no one noticed the signs in all of the drama.

"Why you…" Boyd seethed.

"Boyd, you don't know anything!" Mist insulted.

"Yeah!" Rolf piggybacked.

"This is ridiculous!" said victim shouted to the sky, stopping himself from face-palming himself with his axe.

"Enough of this," Ike declared. "You two go back."

"No!" Mist rejected. "We don't want to! We're sick of worrying about you guys all the time, while we're just laying around somewhere doing nothing but worrying! We're fighting with you, and that's that!"

"Is that so?" Ike thought, though Mist had made a compelling argument. At least, if the two were on the battlefield, they could be watched better, and eventually fully learn to defend themselves, as opposed to possibly being attacked from behind and having them defenseless.

"Yup, we'd much rather be with you," Rolf agreed.

"Well, what now, commander?" Boyd sighed, though he already knew what the answer was. 'Troublesome little brats…' he thought.

"We'll take them with us. No use standing here arguing all day…At least they'll be easier to keep an eye on," Ike permitted, the two young teens' faces instantly brightening up with happiness.

"Are you serious?" Mist asked, honestly not expecting their plea to get through Ike's thick head.

"Yes, I am-but both of you follow Khimari, and don't let them out of your sight, got it?" Ike instructed, directing the last part at the aforementioned Laguz.

"Aye, commander," he agreed, moving to stand in front of the kids.

Finishing with that fiasco, Ike was about to lead the charge, until Lethe and Mordecai walked up to him. "By the way," Lethe started. "If there is a task you need to ask of us, we are willing to listen," she said, basically choking the last part out without any sort of hostility in her tone.

"What are you talking about?" Ike asked, ever the dense one.

"Bah! Open your ears!" she hissed, before calming herself down. "If you wish it…we'll follow your orders."

"You're willing to take orders from me?"

"This is a hu-Beorc fight. If you don't direct us, then we have no reason to be here."

"But yesterday…"

"THAT…was an emergency…" she explained.

"We thought you were in danger," Mordecai further elaborated.

"And you thought right. We were in danger, and I thank you for saving us."

"You are welcome," Mordecai returned, though Lethe simply gave a "hmm" as her response.

"Very well. We will fight together. If you choose not to direct us, we shall do as we please. Is this acceptable?" Mordecai proposed.

"Of course," Ike accepted. "Good fortune to us all." He then turned to the rest of the mercenaries. "Move out, everyone! Khimari will take the kids to the coast to warn the civilians, while everyone else will stay the main path!" he informed everyone.

"Come on, you two," Khimari told the two children, transforming into his wolf form as the two gathered behind the wolf. Leading the little ones ahead, Khimari stopped at the sight of three soldiers up ahead; an archer, a myrmidon, and a mage. Looking back at the kids, he motioned for them to come closer. "Rolf, time to put your skills to the test," he started. "Shoot the myrmidon, and I can deal with the other two, okay?"

"The one with the sword, right? Got it!" he said, quietly exclaiming. Taking position, he readied his bow at the myrmidon, carefully judging where to shoot. Then, when he was sure, he let the arrow loose, hitting the swordsman in the neck, effectively ending him. Though he was impressed, there was no time to celebrate as the remaining two soldiers were instantly put on edge.

Running out from their hiding place, Khimari wasted no time in running up to the archer, decapitating him, and jumping back, making the mage unintentionally burn his comrade to a crisp, not that it mattered considering he was already dead. He didn't have the time to do much else as Khimari ended him as well, due to a well placed kill bite to his neck. Finished with the other two, he beckoned the young teens over with his tail. Running over, they awaited the wolf's next orders.

"We're out in the open now, so keep your eyes opened for any soldiers on our way to the houses. When we get there, Rolf will keep watch while me and Mist will warn the commonfolk," he decided.

"Yes, Khimari!" the two responded. Following the wolf, the trip to the houses wasn't much, as the two proved to be great surveillance guards, Rolf picking off a soldier all by himself, much to Khimari's delight. Soon enough, they got to the houses, and Mist went to the south one while Khimari took the north one. Transforming again before knocking on the door, it was answered by a Laguz cat, who seemed to know of their presence already.

"Are you one of whom Lord Ranulf spoke of? I can tell you already know that Fort Tatana has been taken over by Daein forces. Be wary as you get to the castle, there are some fire mages among them, and you already know what they can do to us," he informed.

"I just came to warn you about incoming soldiers who wouldn't be too kind about seeing you here," Khimari told the cat.

"Thank you for your warning, but I am waiting for some friends and cannot leave this house, but…" he trailed off, before leaving the door for a second, and returning with a pendant like object. "I can give you this talisman, to help boost your resistance against magic for those mages."

"Thank you," Khimari replied, taking the talisman as he closed the door. Looking over to the next house, Mist was coming back, a staff with a green head in, as opposed to the red one that she originally had.

"The lady there just gave me this, and told me to get out…" Mist said somewhat sadly.

"Hey don't worry about it, some people don't know what a little ball of sunshine you are," Khimari cheered on, lightly pinching his surrogate little sister's cheeks.

"Ow! But, thank you," she replied, back to her normal self.

"Pirates!" Rolf called to the two, and looking to the sea, there were indeed pirates going about, four of them to be exact. Running over to the archer along with Mist, Khimari made sure the pirates couldn't get to the kids.

"Rolf, try to shoot them when you get a clear shot," Khimari suggested.

"Wait, but if you're there, then won't I shoot you?" he asked worriedly.

"Easy, just don't." Before the teen could respond, Khimari transformed and went into the water with the pirates.

"Yah har ho! A beastie! Hey, don't panic guys, they have to change back to human form after a while; hit 'em then!" he explained to his crew mates, who all started to advance upon the Laguz.

Inwardly laughing at the poor fools, Khimari dodged the first pirate's venin axe before clawing the man's eyes out, and slashing the spine of another, leaving just the pirate captain and his last lackey. "Scallywags of the sea, we be! We won't lose to the likes of thee!" the seemingly insane pirate captain chanted.

"Poor thing, let me put you out of your misery," Khimari told the pirate, before rushing at the man. He tried to hit the Laguz with his axe, though to no avail as it was avoided by a simple sidestep, before seeing his last day as Khimari bit his neck. Falling into the water, Khimari turned his eyes on the last pirate, who seemed scared out of his mind. Normally, Khimari would have just left him alone, but his instincts were overriding his common sense at the moment.

Racing up to the pirate, he leaped with the intention of tearing him apart, though it left him wide open to attack. Throwing his axe up, he managed to strike the wolf's underbelly, leaving a big wound that started to taint the sea red. "Ya har! I hit the sub-" he celebrated to early, as Khimari just sliced the last pirate's throat. Finished with the pirates, he went back over to Mist and Rolf, who gaped at his wound, as it was quite serious.

"Khimari!"Mist yelled, going over to the wolf. "Oh, goodness, what do I do?"

"You have a staff…" said wolf told the frantic girl, who was embarrassed at completely forgetting that she had it. Putting her new Restore staff away, she put her heal staff in both hands, and put the red orb on Khimari's underbelly while closing her eyes. To the boys' amazement, it started to glow, and Khimari's wound started to close up, before stopping when there was only a scratch left.

"I'm sorry I couldn't heal all of it!" Mist apologized profusely, believing that she didn't do good enough.

"That will have to do for no-Rolf, get out the way!" Khimari yelled, pushing the archer out of the way as a fireball came from behind, and exploded in his face, throwing him back into the water where the fire thankfully was put out from his fur. That Laguz was serious when he meant that it hurt! Slowly getting up, he saw that Rolf killed the mage with a nicely placed arrow, before running along with Mist to the Laguz .

"I'm so sorry, Khimari! I got careless and didn't lookout like I was supposed to…" he apologized as Mist was trying to heal the Laguz again, nearly on the verge of crying.

"Cut the tears!" Khimari uncharacteristically hissed, much to Rolf's surprise. "In battle, it's do or die; the enemy won't leave you alone just because you break down at a little mistake. Just suck it up and be grateful you're still alive!" he harshly said, but truer words couldn't be spoken. It was war, and war did not care about the lives it takes, it will only be good to those who can take care of themselves. Steeling his resolve, Rolf looked at the wolf he considered a big brother and nodded.

"Right!" he said, determined. Khimari just inwardly smirked at the boy before giving his next order.

"Now we go to meet up with the others. Rolf, if you see anyone you think is a foe, don't hesitate to shoot." With that, the trio went north, to see that the Daein forces were just about decimated, and Ike was handling the leader along with Lethe and Mordecai, making quick work of the enemy commander. The first person they saw was Rhys, who was in the back of the group along with Oscar and Ilyana. Letting out a quick growl, Khimari alerted the three to their presence.

"What happened?" Rhys said, seeing Khimari bleeding slightly, as Mist still couldn't heal all of his wounds from the damage the fire mage dealt.

"It's nothing," the wolf nonchalantly replied, refusing be fussed over, even when Rhys took out his staff and closed the rest of his wounds.

"What happened?" Oscar asked this time, making the wolf sigh again at being asked yet again. "It's only natural to ask, considering that Mist and Rolf are perfectly fine yet you're injured and covered in blood," the knight observed. Not knowing, he looked at his paws to see that they were indeed stained red with blood, mixing with his blue fur creating purple in some places.

"I got…a little carried away," he said vaguely, yet Oscar knew what the wolf meant. "If anyone asks, can you tell them I went to wash my fur? This blood is making me sick…" With a nod in confirmation by Oscar, Khimari quickly bounded over to the sea in order to clean himself off, leaving the two little ones with the three.

Jumping into the water, he proceeded to wash his paws of, followed by licking the rest of any other blood off his body. The process did not take long, and he shook his fur upon getting out of the water before returning to the mercenaries. When he came back, he saw that Lethe and Mordecai were talking with Ike. "…Is the palace still far?" he heard the commander say.

"On your skinny Beorc legs, it's very far, but we will do what we can," Lethe replied, making Khimari roll his eyes.

"Okay, everyone! We're heading out!" Ike said to the company. "We need to make haste, in order to get to the castle before night sets in!" With that, everyone set off again in the direction of the Gallian capital.

XXXXX

The sun had only gone down for about an hour or so when Ike and the company finally made it to the Gallia Palace. Entering after Lethe and Mordecai, they were welcomed with the sight of Princess Elincia at the entrance, elated that everyone was still in one piece. "My Lord Ike! Everyone!" she graciously said, coming up to the company.

"Princess Elincia…" he said.

"I heard of Commander Greil's fate…I know no words to say," she expressed, only knowing the feeling of a loved one dying. Even so, she actually wasn't there in their final moments, seeing them die before her eyes…that is something she would not wish upon anyone.

"Don't worry, we're alright, and getting by," he replied.

"Oh, Ike…" the Crimean princess trailed off, as a Gallian soldier came to Ike.

"The king has arrived," he curtly said, before exiting in the same fashion he entered. Not a few moments later, the Gallian king Caineghis was in the sight of the mercenaries, and Ike would be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit intimidated.

"Umm…Hey there…" Ike greeted, and Khimari couldn't help but facepalm at the swordsman's bluntness.

'For Ashera's sake, that was worse than me; and I straight up blurted crud out!' he thought.

"Thank you for coming to Gallia Palace. I am Caineghis, ruler of the Gallia Kingdom," he introduced, ignoring Ike's lack of manners.

"These are the Greil Mercenaries. I am Ike, their commander," he returned, raising the king's eyebrow at the introduction, as well as a look of surprise, very small surprise of course.

"You have grown well, young pup. I didn't recognize you for a moment."

"What?" Ike asked, very much beclouded at the thought of him meeting the beast king before.

"When you were here last, you were naught but a small child," Titania explained.

"Is that you Titania? It is great to see you again," Caineghis said, serving to further mystify Ike.

"The pleasure is mine, Your Majesty," the red-head returned.

"You two are friends? How does the king know me?" Ike blew off a slew of questions.

"I have something I must tell you about your father, Greil…" the lion said, before turning to the two Laguz who had been helping them on their way here. "Lethe! Mordecai! Show the guests their rooms, so they have a place to rest and heal," he ordered.

"At once, my lord!" Lethe said, and with that, everyone began to follow the two, with the exception of Ike, Soren, Titania, and Khimari until Mist came back for a second.

"Khimari?" Can you come with me?" she asked. Looking at Ike for a second, her big brother nodded, confirming that it was okay to leave.

"Yes, Mist. Come on," he agreed, and the two left to join the group as Mordecai and Lethe led them to their temporary quarters. It did not take long, and when Mist got settled into her room, Khimari already knew what question would come next.

"Can you be my pillow, please?" his surrogate little sister asked, giving him the cub eyes that never failed for some reason or another. That wolf could swear that those eyes were blessed by the goddess to make them that cute and innocent.

"What? Well…ugh, fine," he gave in yet again, transforming and hopping on the bed before doing three little circles like he always did before lying down. A few moments later, Mist joined him, laying her head on his soft and furry belly.

"Mmm…" she hummed in content, singing the song that she always sung to lullaby herself to sleep. It did wonders, as the little teenager fell asleep fast, though most of it was in part of Khimari's fluffy belly. It wasn't long before the wolf lost himself as well in the world of dreams…

XXXXX

A/N: HOOOOOT DAMNN! (Excuse my vulgar language, please) I did NOT expect to finish this so quickly, especially breaking all of my other fanfic records by a long shot (7K seems so little now when you've written over 10K in one chapter…) But anyways, I hope you all enjoy, and have a nice June! (I might update again this month, who knows, this is third update in…just over two weeks!)

Later Guys,

Blizzard


	10. ROAD TRIP! (And A Good Talk)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: We are in the double digit chapters, WOHOO!(If you are squeamish, don't read first part:)

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done_

 _It was a dark place, the night sky was completely dark, and the ominous trees loomed over the land below. Mist looked around, wondering where she was, and decided to searching for anyone. "Ike? Anyone? Hellooo?" she called, looking though the forest as she walked along the dirt path. Nothing responded to her besides the quiet rustling of the mysterious forest, until she heard a clang of metal. Running toward the sound, she saw a sword get thrown over in the air, sailing until its point landed in the soft soil, dangerously close to her._

 _Looking away from the sword, she was terrified to see Ike on one knee, breathing heavily as a knight in all black armor loomed over him. The knight raised his sword, and slammed the edge through her brother's heart, killing him. "IIIKKKKEEE!" she screamed, running towards his brother, picking his head up. "Wake up, wake up, PLEASE!" she yelled, ignoring the blood that was staining her hands as she cried for her brother to come back. Then, she heard another sound, a thump against the forest floor._

 _Once again raising her head, she saw Khimari in front of her, panting heavily and bleeding all over, his normally blue fur now a deep red. Refusing to give up, the wolf jumped at the knight that killed Ike, only to have a sword impale him by the same knight. "KHIMARI!" Mist screamed once again, tears flowing down her eyes even harder as the Laguz's unmoving body slid off the knight's sword, landing on the ground as a puddle of blood gathered around the wolf's corpse._

 _After looking down at the wolf, the knight stared directly at her, walking slowly towards the brown-haired cleric. She instantly tried to get up and run away, but the knight was upon her before she had the chance to get away. Grabbing her neck, the knight in all black held her up in the air, choking her before he raised his sword yet again. Mist struggled; writhing, kicking, squirming, anything, but she could not force the knight to release his hold on her._

 _After a quick while, she started to grow limp, not being able to breathe from being choked, and eyes wide with fright and horror seeing that the black figure had raised his sword, and pulled it back. Knowing what would happen next, she flinched back and closed her eyes as the knight rammed the sword through her stomach._

"AH!" Mist screamed as she rose off her back fast as lightning, before quickly quieting down as she realized it was just a very…very bad dream. She was quivering and shivering, rubbing her hands on her arms and breathing extremely quickly and in short bursts.

"Mist? What's wrong?" Khimari cooed, reminding the girl that she slept on the Laguz's wolf belly. The young girl just said nothing, her balled fist shaking as she purposely looked away from her big brother. Reverting back to his Beorc form, he took his hand and grabbed Mist's chin. "What happ-"

"No!" she quietly snapped, slapping his hand away and standing up. She walked to the other side of the room, and stared at the wall, crying he could see by the teardrops staining the floor. "Stay…stay away from me," she quietly said, though her voice still spoke volumes.

"Mist…" Khimari trailed off, not knowing what to say, until he came to a conclusion that it wouldn't help if she kept it all in. "Tell me."

"No," she said, fearful of what would happen if she told her brothers about her nightmare, as knowing them, they would probably be even more worried about her, and they already had enough to do without her being an annoyance.

"Tell me," he said, slightly more forceful in his tone this time, and Mist picked up on it.

"No," she repeated, not relenting a single bit, still crying in the corner. In response, the wolf Laguz just sighed at the girl's stubbornness.

"Fine then," he said, confusing the girl even more, knowing that Khimari was a great deal more persistent than that, simply to give up so easily. Something was definitely off…She was about to turn around, when she felt two arms grab her, and next thing she knew, Khimari was holding her bridal style. "If you won't tell me, maybe you'll tell Ike," he said, though his eyes were full of worry. Mist couldn't help but feel guilty at making her brother worry, and she realized he would worry even more if he didn't tell her what happened.

"O…okay, I'll tell you," she finally gave in, "But…put me down, please." Khimari complied with her request and carefully sat Mist on the bed, before sitting down himself right next to the distressed cleric. Taking a deep breath, she looked down before she started to speak. "I had…a nightmare. I saw y-you and Ike d-d-die, right in front of me, a-and then th-the th-thing c-came and st-stabbed me. I-It w-as so sc-scary!" she admitted, breaking down once again as she recollected what happened to her in the nightmare.

Khimari couldn't help but hug the poor girl, who was crying in his arms. "I-I'm scared, that you and Ike w-will leave me, j-just like mother and f-father," she continued, the poor thing bawling her eyes out. "P-Please, don't…leave," she pleaded, burying her head in Khimari's chest as she cried,

"Shhh…don't worry, Mist, Ike and I aren't going anywhere," the Laguz soothingly said. "We'll never leave you, and no one's ever going to hurt you. I promise." He knew it was a little lie; Mist would get hurt, because it's impossible to go through something as heinous as war and emerge completely unscathed, but the rest was something that he intended to stick to for the rest of his life.

That's how the two stayed for a long while, until Mist decided to start the day officially. "Well, I guess I'll get packed for everything," she said.

"That would be a good idea," Khimari replied, getting up as well. "I'll go and make sure everyone's getting…whatever word I'm looking for," he tried to play off, though it failed miserably if Mist's snort was anything to go by.

"For someone who knows a lot about things, you still have your "Ike" moments," she commented.

"…Ya know, that's pretty insulting," Khimari huffed, knowing that he was nowhere as dense as Ike tended to be. "I was just clueless for a moment…Ike is dense for a lifetime, there's a big difference." Mist simply giggled at the wolf's defensive statement. Leaving the room, Khimari then took a quick look to one of the windows to see that the sun was just barely starting to pass the horizon, and everyone else should be getting up in a little while.

"You're up?" a voice asked from behind Khimari, and he turned to see that it belonged to Ike.

"I should be asking you that," Khimari retorted. "You're the one who always slept until after the sun was up." Saying nothing, Ike walked beside the wolf to look at the sun.

"So…" Ike started after a quick moment of silence. "You never did finish telling me what happened on your trip, especially considering that it rivaled our tale, apparently," he said.

"Ugh…" Khimari silently gagged. "Where do I start? I guess I'll just tell it in detail," he decided to himself, before turning back to Ike. "Nothing interesting happened the day I left the base, until I decided to stop and go to sleep for the night. That was when I was attacked by the bipolar cat you know as Lethe," he summed up, making Ike stifle a laugh.

"Was she that bad? She didn't beat you, did she?" Ike asked, already close to laughing at his brother.

"What? Never," he growled. "Our little fight was one-sided, considering I never even tried to attack her until she really got on my nerves," he added."Then, Mordecai interrupted our fight and he started to argue with Lethe, while I went into unconsciousness," Khimari ended.

"Wow, it started crappy?" Ike summed up, much to Khimari's ire.

"Anyways," he continued, ignoring Ike's banter, "Following day I woke up in the palace, and Mordecai came in my room and told me that the king wanted to see me. We went to the throne room; place looks amazing, by the way, and I saw the king," he said. "I can't say I handled it well, but it was better than what you did," he jabbed.

"Hey, what else was I supposed to say?" Ike defended.

"I don't know, maybe not "hey there" for starters!" Khimari chided, lightly flicking Ike on the back of his head, making him hold it in slight pain.

"Ow!" he said. "You still know that you're strong right? That hurts!" Ike said, making Khimari snort.

"If that hurts, you don't want to challenge me to anymore spars for a while," he retorted. "But back to the story, we talked, and I found out that he knew Greil-he probably told you that last night," he mentioned, Ike nodding to confirm it. "He also…told me about my tribe, and what happened to them," he slightly paused, bringing Ike's curious face to look at him.

"What did he say?" Ike asked, knowing that it was always one of Khimari's dreams to find his mom.

"He said…that they were forced out just a few months before I was born, and no one knows where they settled," he admitted. "It almost like they were wiped off the continent."

"Hey, don't worry, you'll get a tip from somewhere, and you'll find her someday," Ike said sympathetically.

"Heh, don't worry about me like that, you know I hate being fussed over," he responded.

"Well, you're kinda like the backbone of the group, helping everybody out with their problems and taking care of them for nothing in return, putting everyone else's needs before your own. The least we could do is listen to you when you have any insecurities about something," Ike explained.

"Wow, Ike…" Khimari left off, before adopting a huge grin on his face. "Insecurities has five syllables! You're getting smarter by the years!" He was awarded with a hard punch from Ike, which didn't actually hurt that much, though he had to play the part, grabbing his arm with his other hand in mock pain. "Ow, that hurt!"

"No it didn't, and you know it," the swordsman retorted.

"Fine, you caught me," he admitted, instantly dropping the act of fake pain and settled for a pout because his fun was cut short.

"Hey, keep going; the story I mean, it was pretty interesting," Ike requested.

"Wow, four syllables, I guess you earned it," he jabbed again, making Ike's left eye slightly twitch. After a quick laugh at the leader's expense, Khimari continued his story. "After the talk with the king, Mordecai was going to show me around the place, ya know, the city and all that, then I crashed into my dad-Ranulf, on the walk out."

"How did you feel?" Ike asked, knowing that not everyone crashed into their dad, when they've never seen them their entire life.

"It was…complicated. I wanted to punch him, but I was just relieved at finding someone close to me," he explained. "We just stood there for a while, until I made some snide remark, you know how I am."

"I thought as much. You would probably do some type of punishment in your special way," Ike observed. "That explains why Boyd was asking if you pranked him."

"Really? What did Boyd do?" Khimari exasperatedly asked, though he already had an idea.

"He just listed a bunch of your pranks, you know, the dirty clothes dodgeball, the ghost of death, and the lucky rabbit head," Ike listed, knowing that Khimari named his pranks that he did.

"He didn't say the prison sword prank? That was my favorite…" Khimari trailed off, making Ike redder than a tomato. That prank of the wolf's was the most…embarrassing. The prank involved sneaking into the victim's room while they were sleeping, and assaulting them with a pillow. Though, the trick of the prank was the special serum that Khimari makes-no one knows how he made it, and it caused diarrhea in whoever it gets into, and the pillow was only a diversion to sneak the serum into their mouth.

The following morning, they would wake up to find out that they pooped their pants, and would have to use the bathroom as much as possible for the whole day. Ike was extremely ashamed to say that it happened to him, and Boyd before.

"That prank is…evil," Ike commented, shuddering at the memory. Thankfully, Greil outlawed that prank after he mistakenly got a small dose of it when he accidently took Boyd's plate…that did not end well for anyone involved.

"Why? I think you enjo-"

"Finish that, and I'll cut off your tail," Ike threatened, taking his sword slightly out of his sheathe to make his point clearer.

"Do that, and you'll end up like that rabbit I hunted for that dare," the wolf returned, joking but serious at the same time, and Ike did not want to take his chances with him actually following through on that threat.

"…Just keep telling the story," Ike ordered, knowing he lost the verbal battle.

"Well, after we got acquainted, I told him everything that happened that I could remember, up to where we were now. And then, he told me what he does, and we ended up having a little spar."

"How'd it go?"

"I got beat, not badly, but I still got beat. He's definitely stronger than the average cat and tiger," he commented. " But I did accidently land on him. But that's beside the point. After the little brawl, we heard sounds of metal, and we tracked it down to find a little Daein camp based in Gallia."

"So Daein was already here…" Ike muttered. Khimari nodded to his brother's statement before continuing, the atmosphere getting more serious.

"We were able to route the camp, with a few soldiers that ran away, and we took on the enemy commander with ease, then…" Khimari trailed off.

"The Black Knight…" Ike said. "Keep talking, I…think I need to hear this."

"If you say so, but if you feel uncomfortable in any part at all, just say it," Khimari warned, before taking a deep breath and telling his memory of the hardest battle he ever had. "He just stood next to the commander the entire battle, and he didn't do a single thing until we killed the leader. Afterwards, he challenged me to a duel…and it was the worst thing I'd ever done in my life," Khimari shuddered.

"If you can't say it, then-"

"No, you wanted me to tell you," Khimari said. "It was completely impossible. Despite all his armor, he moved just as fast as I was, maybe even faster, and a single hit felt like crashing from the clouds! I tried to hurt him, but then he told me his armor was blessed, and I couldn't do a thing," Khimari explained.

"It was nearly over as soon as it started, it wasn't even a fight," the Laguz scoffed at himself. "Next thing I knew, I was nearly unconscious and the knight was standing over me, ready to ram his sword through me," he ended, closing his eyes at the end, seeing the memory as that feeling of helplessness started to wash over him again.

"Khimari…" Ike trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"It was horrible! I tried everything I could, but I couldn't even scratch him! And then, I nearly died, and…and…" Khimari choked, as he started sniffling and tears went down his face, completely shocking Ike. It was a well-known fact that Khimari NEVER cried, and this was just disheartening to watch the normally upbeat and optimistic person be seen like this.

"…" Ike didn't say a word as Khimari broke down in tears, and to be honest, he didn't have any words to help the hurting Laguz. He never had an experience like this, to be honest, seeing your life truly flash before your eyes, helplessly watching as you breathe what feels like your final moments. The closest thing he could share with that was the night his father died, but he could tell that it wasn't quite as much pain as his surrogate brother was holding in.

It took awhile, but Khimari eventually stopped and cleaned his face up, though the tear stains still remained, if only a little. "I…I'm fine," Khimari said, answering Ike's silent question.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"No," Khimari admitted, "But it won't do me any good sulking about what happened to me. I just have to keep going," he resolved.

"…You're really the strongest of us all," Ike said, seeing that Khimari always helped everyone else, without really caring about his own feelings. And now here he was, just bawling his eyes out merely minutes ago, and already bouncing back from the memory of nearly dying, something that would break many people.

"Don't make me blush…" Khimari said, though Ike knew that was his way of saying "thank you."

"I'll go make sure the princess is okay, and can you find Ranulf and tell him I want to see him?" Ike requested.

"Okay, and Ike," Khimari called. "Check on Mist too, she had a nightmare." Ike simply nodded, and the two went down the different hallways.

As Ike went to the Princess' room, he quickly checked back in his room to see Titania and Soren, his roommates, already awake. "Good morning, Ike, it's delightful to see you up so early this morning," the paladin greeted.

"Morning, Titania, and you too, Soren," Ike returned, and the mage simply showed his response in a nod as he finished packing his things. "I just came to ask you a question." Titania's head raised at the statement.

"Well, what is it?" she asked.

"It's about Khimari…" he started, quickly gaining Soren's attention as well as he looked up from his book at the mercenary leader. "He's having a hard time, and I just want to know how to help him. Do you have any ideas?"

"Khimari is an optimistic person with a free-flowing personality. It is highly doubtful that anything would plague him for long, and help would not be necessary," Soren shared.

"Well, Soren this is different, I can tell," Ike said.

"What sign do you have of this being different?" the mage interrogated.

"He cried." Those two words were all he needed to say, as both of the occupants in the room stared at him wide-eyed. The only female in the room then sighed as she closed her eyes in thought.

"Well, I guess it could be expected, after all of these years of pretending like things are fine, something finally pushed him over the edge," Titania said, much to Ike's apparent confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"We've all known Khimari for a long time, but you the longest, surely you see what type of person he is. Always helping others out, solving our problems and giving us a helping hand, but where have we been when he needed a helping hand?" she rhetorically said, and both boys knew that she was speaking the absolute truth, and couldn't help but feel a little selfish and guilty about it. "Don't feel bad for not seeing it, it just wasn't something he wanted to show you," Titania soothed.

"What do you mean? What does he have to hide?" Ike asked.

"It's just an instinct; the role model does have to be just about perfect, or else those who idolize him will get the wrong idea. You do see what I mean, right, Ike?"

"So, by helping everyone else, he had to act like he never had anything wrong with him, to ease everyone's mind and give a sense of security," Ike summed up.

"Exactly," Titania agreed. "Right at this point, bothering him would only serve to make him worse, so now we just give him some time to think."

"Wow, I never thought of it like that…" Ike mused. "Well, I'll go and check on Mist and the princess," he said, before exiting the room, and going to where his sister and brother slept together last night. He opened the door to see Mist nearly done packing as well. "Hey, Mist."

"Hi, Ike!" Mist said cheerily, much like her regular self.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Well, I had a little nightmare, but now I'm fine!" she admitted, and Ike could tell that she said the truth.

"Okay. I'm going to check on Princess Elincia now, so make sure you get everything ready for when we leave," he told her.

"Yes, sir!" she agreed, before going back to work. Leaving her room, he then went down the hall to the princess' room, to find Ranulf leaving from the door, turning to see Ike standing right there.

"Oh, hey Ike! So, I hear you're leaving to Begnion?" he greeted.

"Hello, Ranulf. I was actually hoping to see you," Ike returned.

"So my son told me," he said, before the two started to walk through the corridor to where the princess was.

"Yeah, I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for us."

"Well, quite the dutiful one, eh?" he remarked. "That reminds me…you were born in Gallia, right? I knew that you were a different Beorc; weird and awfully friendly for one! Oh, by the way, a Beorc is-"

"I know what it is," Ike interjected. "It's what you call us humans, right?"

"Hm, well, here's another piece of information, too. "Human" is used towards you the same way "sub-human" is used towards me."

"Wow, that's an insult," Ike repeated in wonder, completely unaware that it actually was insulting, considering nearly everyone he was around used that term. "I'm glad you told me, I never would have guessed."

"Well, here's a warning: if a Laguz calls you that, they're no friend of yours."

"Got it," Ike said, nodding his head at the same time. "I won't forget that."

"Welp, I've digressed long enough. I guess I should really tell you why I'm here," he revealed, before they came to the end of the long twists of hallways to see Princess Elincia sitting down, as well as Khimari having a talk with Mordecai and Lethe. "Princess Elincia, may I have a moment of your time?" he asked the green-haired princess.

"Why, y-yes, of course," Elincia agreed, getting up and walking over to the two blue-heads.

"The king asked that I give you this," he explained, holding out a brown leather pouch to the princess.

"What?" she asked, caught off guard at the sudden gift. "What is-"

"In the pouch is twenty thousand gold," the cat answered before the question could be asked. Elincia could only gape at the amount; twenty thousand is a very high number.

"Oh…I truly appreciate your kindness, but a gift this spontaneous is something that I cannot accept. King Caineghis has already done so much more than necessary for me…" she admitted.

"The king is ashamed that he can't personally help you at this time. Pretty please, will you accept this apology and acknowledge his desire to assist you?" Ranulf returned.

"But…" the princess said, still resisting.

"Hmm…" the cat though aloud. "Well how about this; you can accept the king's gift, then give it to Ike as payment for your safe journey to Gallia," he suggested, giving himself a mental pat on the back for that genius idea.

"Well…" It was certainly a good idea, but Elincia didn't know if she actually could bear to take it.

"Come on Ranulf," Ike interjected. "You can't honestly expect her to take this. It's just an outrageous amount, no matter how you look at it." At that, Ranulf scoffed.

"Twenty thousand gold for the life of a princess?" he asked rhetorically. "Perfectly reasonable. In fact, it's borderline insulting! Considering how much you've suffered, how many lives you have lost…heck, a hundred times this wouldn't be out the question," he dramatically said.

"Ever the dramatic one?" Khimari sarcastically said under his breath.

"I…I've changed my mind. I will accept the king's kindness," Elincia agreed, taking the bag out of the cat's hand. "And in turn, I will present it to my Lord Ike, who will accept it…will you not?" Seeing as he was forced into a corner, he had no choice but to take the ridiculously large sum of money being presented to him.

"I…I'll take it," he gave in, Elincia handing him the leather pouch. "Thank you."

"It is I who must thank you," the princess in the orange dress returned.

"Phew! Now that that's settled, let's move on. Unfortunately, we have no ships here in Gallia. If you're going to find yourself a ship that will take you to Begnion, you'd have to return to Crimea, now Daein-infested," the cat informed.

"Well, if that's the only way, we must risk it," Ike decreed.

"You do know that you'll be running into Daein troops no matter which way you proceed."

"That's something we don't have much to do about…we're still short on soldiers, and I'll have to look over all of our supplies before we depart."

"Well, in regard of your short number of men, the king has decided to get you some help. Lethe, Mordecai!" Ranulf called over, the two Laguz coming over along with the wolf.

"We will join you," Mordecai reiterated.

"Mordecai! And Lethe? Are you both sure?"

"While I loathe at the idea of going with humans," Lethe started before Khimari lightly tapped her shoulder. "Err-Beorc, when the king gives an order, the only option is obedience." Ranulf couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his son correcting Lethe, while the conversation continued.

"That may be, but after witnessing the power of Gallians, we know that we are fortunate to have you two join us," Ike said.

"We will not disappoint you," Mordecai said.

"I've no intention of becoming friends!" Lethe hissed. "Do well to remember that…and stay out of my way!" she told, before going over to wait at the castle entrance. Ranulf just laughed at the cat's antics, as she had always been that way.

"You will have to excuse Lethe. Her words cut as deep as her claws!" he said.

"A warning would have been appreciated, you know…" Ike cheekily said.

"Anyways…" Ranulf continued, ignoring his statement much like Khimari would. "I will return when I've reported to the king. Please, finish your preparations while I'm gone," he finished, before leaving. As the cat left, Ike turned to his son, who was trying, and failing to hide a smirk.

"I see the resemblance…" he deadpanned.

"I know, don't ya love it?" Khimari asked, though the question went unanswered as Ike went back to his room to make sure preparations were going smoothly. "Ike, other hallway," the wolf called, making the Beorc come back to where the Laguz was standing and went down the other hallway, the other wrong one… "Wrong one again," he mentioned, making the blue-haired swordsman come back looking more annoyed than ever.

"You know what, just come with me," he commanded. With a wide grin, Khimari led his brother back to the hall where the mercenaries stayed to see that many were starting to leave, finished with their packing. "Is everyone accounted for?" he asked Titania, who gave a nod in response.

"Yes. Everyone is done packing, and we are about to load everything onto the caravan," she informed.

"That's good. So, I'll check on them and then everyone will go down when we depart."

"That's the plan," Titania said, nodding her head. Just then, Khimari remembered something that would be very important.

"Ike, which room is yours?" he asked his brother.

"Umm…the one right next to us?" he said slowly. Khimari just blinked for a second before facepalming.

"Yeah…thanks," he said, feeling extremely stupid as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. While the two stared off in wonder at what the Laguz was doing, as there was a loud thump and the boom of a thunderbolt. Seconds later, Khimari walked back out of the room, with one of Soren's robes on, and his hair was standing on end… "Thunder spell," he explained, which now made perfect sense to the two.

"Wait, why did you get the robe?"

"We're going to places with Beorc, right? I hate keeping my tail stiff, but better safe than sorry," the wolf answered. The two nodded to that.

"Good thinking ahead," Titania praised, before turning back to the commander. "Now, seeing as we're almost done, we should be ready for departure in abou-"

"Um…Sorry to interrupt, but the caravan is ready and at the entrance to the palace," Ilyana meekly revealed from behind Titania.

"Well, we leave now, I guess," she amended, with the new information that was given to her. The five, as Ike got Soren, went down to the palace entrance where everyone was staying for the while. Upon getting there, Ranulf conveniently came back from his report with the king, and was dressed in a disguise outfit as well.

"I trust that you're all ready," he told Ike.

"Yes, we're all ready to go," the swordsman confirmed. "Wait, the king is sending you to go with us?"

"Yep! I hope you're not offended," he answered, much to Ike's utter confusion.

"Wait, what? Why would I be…you know what, just come on," the leader directed.

"What's wrong, Ike? Cat got your tongue?" Khimari teased, making Ike throw his hands up in defeat.

"Can you two PLEASE not come to me at the same time? We don't need any Khimari clones in this group," Ike exasperated.

"Fish under the sea," Ranulf said, a smile on his face.

"And birds in the sky," his son continued, making Ike severely want to hurt both Laguz at the moment.

"For the love of-Titania!" Ike called, bringing the red-headed paladin over from the group she gathered together for the departure. "Everyone's ready to go?" he changed the topic.

"Yes, on your orders," Titania affirmed. Nodding, Ike went over to the front of the group. "Mercenaries, it's time to move out!" he called, before letting Ranulf take the lead on their route back to Crimea.

XXXXX

They had been making good time, and would be able to get to their destination, Port Toha, by the middle of the day, and they would set sail the same afternoon, before nightfall came about. Currently, they were already nearing the Crimean border, and would cross into the Beorc ruled country before noon time.

"Hmm…" Khimari hummed, looking at the trees silently, thinking about everything that happened to him in such a short time. It was a real shock with how they kept coming, without giving him any sort of break whatsoever, unless he was knocked out. He didn't expect to break down in tears this morning, either, but it just needed to happen sooner or later, he figured.

"Something on your head?" a voice asked him. He turned his head to see his dad walking next to him, as they were ahead of much of the group.

"Just…stuff…" he said, not knowing exactly how to explain it.

"Let me guess, everything's gone crazy, and you don't know where to start picking up the pieces," he guessed.

"Well…I guess so. How did you know?"

"Call it the dad sense. Besides, you just told me," he responded, making the wolf roll his eyes. "Well, here's a tip; try not to take on everything at the same time. A little here and there will do just fine, because you'll still get done, and you'll have more sanity than Skrimir when you're done," he told, snickering at the end.

"Is he really that bad? I know you're almost like a babysitter, but…" he trailed off, accenting his point even more. Ranulf just sighed before hanging his head back.

"Well, he's strong, and he's probably going to be the next king, but he's a stubborn, red-hot knucklehead, that's for sure," the cat described, laughing at the end for a second. "Besides, you're a little babysitter, too aren't ya? I guess it runs in the family, with that girl over there asking you to be a pillow. That just melts my heart," he said, grinning as he mentioned Mist.

"…I'll take that as a compliment," Khimari replied. "Fluffy is best, and will always be best."

"Yes indeed, son," he agreed. "Ya know, even in the beast kingdom of Gallia, my fur always was the best," he boasted. "That's my secret weapon; in fact, that's a reason your mom and I got together."

"You two ended up together on account of your fur? Yeah right," Khimari snorted. "Tell me the real reason, and I might believe you."

"Fine, fine. We got into a fight over a big fish when we were younger, we wrestled it out; she got the fish, I'm sorry to say, and the rest was history," he sighed, mouth nearly watering at the memory of said fish that he and Khimari's mother fought over.

"Really?" Khimari exasperatedly said. "That is about the craziest thing I've ever heard…so it's probably true," he judged, making Ranulf's eye twitch.

"Well, we met each other again afterwards, and we became mates," Ranulf explained, choosing wisely to ignore that sly comment. "This was about twenty-two years ago, back when the wolf tribe still roamed Gallia. But you know, the incidents happened, and they ended up having to move, and even before then, we saw each other less because of our demanding jobs," he revealed.

"What did she work as? Was she in the kingdom with you?"

"Actually, Nailah was in her own kingdom, helping to keep her tribe in Gallia until there was no other way, but that's what's expected as she was the queen and everything…" he mentioned. Khimari absorbed all of Ranulf's words, before stopping on "queen."

"Wait, hold on. Did you just say queen?" Khimari repeated. "Mom was the queen of the wolves?"

"Why yes she was, and since you're her son…" Ranulf continued.

"…I'm going to give you my prison sword prank one of these days if you keep dropping crap on me like this," Khimari threatened. "You're telling me that I'm the wolf prince?" he reiterated, pointing at himself.

"Why yes, yes you are," Ranulf confirmed, sending Khimari's brain into yet another "what the hell" moment.

"How did that happen!?" he near shouted.

"Well, one day, Nailah visited me, and she was really stressed, with running an entire kingdom and whatnot, considering she was only queen for about five years at the time. She came to me for comfort, being mates and all of that, then things…happened, and you're here now!" Ranulf explained, with a large grin.

"Wait…What?" Khimari asked, utterly flabbergasted at what he just heard.

"Oh, goodness, I knew I would have to do this someday…" Ranulf sighed. "Khimari, when a boy and a girl like each o-"

"Shut up!" Khimari yelled, facing turning redder by the second. "I know…all about that…" he said, not exactly happy that his dad was about to give him "the talk."

"Someone's feeling a little red, aren't we?" Ranulf teased, obviously enjoying the amusement.

"…I'm definitely going to prank you," Khimari promised the cat. Oh yes, this blue cat named Ranulf was going to get the prank of a lifetime…

"Well, good luck with that," he returned back at his son, before he tripped on something and fell on the forest floor face-first.

"I thought cats landed on their feet," Khimari pretended to wonder as Ranulf got up and dusted himself off. The cat then sent a dirty look at his son.

"You knew that tree root was right there, didn't you?" he rhetorically asked.

"Oh, me? How could I have possibly have known?" Khimari faked, laughing in between words.

"Sneaky wolves…" Ranulf muttered under his breath, leading Khimari to laugh even more as it was his turn for amusement. Just then, the cat started to look around his surroundings more, and recognized where they were. "Hey, I just remembered something," he said out loud. "Ike, hold on a second!" he yelled out, catching up to Ike who was in front of the two. "I just remembered, there's a castle on this way, it may be good to stop by there," he mentioned.

"Really?" Ike asked, genuinely interested. "Is there anything special about this place?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Ranulf responded. "Canteus Castle, as it's called, was seized by Daein early in the war. Now, it's been turned into a prisoner camp, and I've heard there are a number of Crimean soldiers being held in the dungeons underneath the castle," he informed.

"Are you certain?" Elincia asked, hope blooming in her heart.

"Princess, I'm hurt!" he exclaimed, fake pouting. "Of course my information is reliable!"

"If we can rescue some Crimean soldiers, they might be able to join us. That would be quite a boon, would it not?" Titania added, throwing her own two gold in on the matter.

"Yes, it would," Ike agreed. "It's definitely worth the risk." With that agreement, Ranulf took the lead and a few minutes later, they stared at the castle. Leading everyone else, the cat found an entrance on the castle side, and all of them went down there to see it was indeed a dungeon.

"We're here now," Ranulf said quietly, as not to give away their position. "Now, the question is how to open the cells and free the prisoners…"

"Hey, Khimari?" Ike called the wolf over. "You wouldn't happen to know how to pick cell locks in your Laguz form, would you?" he asked.

"That's not a logical decision to do," Soren said while rolling his eyes. "Even then, picking a lock would take too much time that we don't have. The best course of action would be to simply use the keys, which would be on the jailer. Best case scenario, the guards have keys as well, and that seems the only wa-"

"Yes Ike, I can pick some locks," Khimari answered, effectively cutting Soren's analysis short.

"Like I was saying before I was interrupted," Soren continued, glaring at the wolf. "No matter what we do, it is imperative that we move with caution, as to avoid getting all of the castle garrison on our tails."

"So, stick to the walls and don't get seen or heard right?" Ike summarized, which was confirmed by a nod from the mage. "Ok, so now, our first priority is getting the cell keys…" he trailed off.

"Hey, you!" Ranulf seemingly yelled to no one. Then, out of seemingly nowhere, a thief came out of the shadows. Not exactly trusting him, Khimari simply transformed and moved back to be with the others.

"I have business with Sir Greil," he said. "Where is he?"

"Aren't you lacking in social etiquette?" Soren rhetorically asked, only to be answered with a distant snort from Boyd that went ignored. "State your business."

"I'll speak with Sir Greil and Sir Greil alone. Take me to him."

"See, there is a problem with that," Titania interjected. "Commander Greil is dead."

"Hm…That's a problem…"

"Who are you, anyway?" Titania asked.

"Call me Volke. Sir Greil hired me. I'm…intelligence."

"My father hired you?" Ike repeated.

"Sir Greil's son correct? You'll work. He hired me to investigate something. Pay my price, you get my report. Deal?" he said, cutting it short and simple.

"How much?"

"Fifty thousand," he responded.

"That's a bit steep," Ike commented, knowing they had nowhere near that much money.

"Worth every penny."

"I don't have that much…I need some time…"

"You're willing to pay?"

"My father did hire you. He must've had good reason," the swordsman explained.

"Are you sure commander?" Titania asked, not trusting of Volke. "We have no evidence of knowing if he's telling the truth."

"We'll know when we see the contents of that report. Until then, let's have him travel with us."

"That's your plan?" Volke scoffed. "You get the report when I get paid, and I'm not waiting here until then. When you have the gold, go to a tavern and tell the barkeep you need a fireman. I'll be there in the hour," he told, before heading out.

"Hold on a moment!" Soren said to the thief, who slightly turned his head. "Is intelligence the only thing you sell?" he questioned.

"Out with it. What do you want?"

"Locks," the mage explained. "Do you open locks?" In response, Volke shrugged.

"Sure. Fifty gold each."

"You're going to have him open up the cell doors?" Ike asked his tactician.

"Is that wise?" Titania also interrogated. "We've only just met him. Are you sure we can trust him?"

"…Volke, will you help us break into these cells?" Ike asked, showing that he agreed with Soren's idea of using him to open the locks.

"If I get my money, I have no complaints," was all he said.

"Any objections? Titania?" Ike questioned the paladin specifically, knowing she didn't exactly agree to it.

"I've told you before; You're the commander. If you decide to do something, I will follow."

"Righto! Now that that's settled, I'm off. Good luck, and all that other stuff," Ranulf off-handedly said.

"You're not going to help us here?" the swordsman helped.

"Much as I would like to, I have a job to do. I'll rejoin you when I've finished."

"Well, we'll be seeing you later," Khimari muttered, not too worried.

"Good luck to you," Ranulf returned. "Oh and Khimari, remember not to get too reckless out there," he advised, in a rare moment of seriousness. The wolf nodded to the cat, and the Gallian was off, leaving the mercenaries to their own devices.

"Okay, let's go, and remember to stay as quiet as possible, everyone," Ike reminded one last time. With a chorus of nods, the group started their trek, Lethe and Titania staying behind with Mordecai in the case of enemy reinforcements just if things started to go south. The first cell went off without a hitch, a quick arrow from Rolf quickly silencing the first guard, Boyd silently putting him on the ground.

Then, Volke quickly picked the lock to the closest cell. After he picked it, he opened the cell quietly, before allowing Ike to talk with the prisoner, not a soldier from what he could tell. "You, we're here to rescue you," Ike informed the prisoner. "You're not a soldier, are you? Your clothes give you away," he observed.

"I am…a pilgrim," the man answered. "My name is Sephiran," he introduced.

"A monk? Why would Daein imprison you?"

"I was arrested in a nearby village, where I was tending to wounded Crimean knights. Being thought of as a sympathizer, I received no trial and have been kept prisoner in this place ever since," Sephiran explained to Ike.

"I see…We're here to set the war prisoners free. You should take the opportunity to escape," he recommended.

"You will set me free?" he asked rhetorically, but gratefully at the same time. "That is most kind of you. If you've no objection, I would ask your name."

"I am Ike, of the Greil Mercenaries. Leave while you can, please," he said, before walking outside of the cell door as he heard the monk Sephiran mutter a "thank you." Coming back to the group he quietly gave the next set of directions. "Okay, everyone, the next door we'll go to is-" he started before he was interrupted by a growl from Khimari.

"We've been found, and soldiers are coming," the wolf warned, his ears twitching erratically.

"Can you tell how many?" Ike asked.

"A lot."

"Change of plans everyone: We make two groups; One to get the remaining prisoners, and the other to clear the escape route. Some make sure to fall back and get Titania, Lethe, and Mordecai from the entrance. We don't have much time, so let's get going!" Ike directed, and everyone else fell in line with his strategy. The wolf's warning did come to pass, as not less than a minute later soldiers came bursting through every single entrance to the dungeon.

Nearly overwhelmed, the sneak and rescue mission quickly escalated into a full-blown battle, soldiers coming from everywhere. Khimari ended up in a group with Ilyana, Soren, and Mia, going on the way to the northern prison cell, Mia and Khimari cutting the way as the two mages provided backup against the armored knights. The dream team cut through everyone like paper, Khimari a whirlwind of claws while Mia went on slicing and dicing. Not to mention Soren and Ilyana blasting spells, the group was definitely a force to be reckoned with. 'Maybe we should make a little mini-unit…' Khimari thought, before shaking the thought out of his head. 'No offside thinking in a battlefield; that gets you killed.'

Before long, the four arrived at the cell, and Khimari hopped on two legs, using his claws to try and pick the lock. "Um…What are you doing?" Mia asked, somewhat confused.

"Picking a lock," Khimari growled in response, while Soren only rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"Oh, this is simply ridiculous," he commented. "While you waste time here, I'll go find a cell ke-" His comment was cut short as a click was open, and Khimari transformed back into his Beorc form in order to open the door.

"Never doubt the claws," the wolf grinned, only for the doubtful mage to raise an eyebrow at the Laguz's antics. Quickly quitting the banter, he went in to see a lone soldier in there, a girl with mint green hair, in blue armor with a blue shield as well as some black and blue tights and blue shoes. "Hey there, we're here to help get you out of here," he said gently, not wanting to come off as offensive.

"Who…are you?"

"Khimari. I'm with a mercenary group hired to help the Crimean Princess. Do you trust me enough to come with me? Don't worry, I only bite enemies and rabbits," Khimari joked, the girl eliciting a small chuckle in response to the silly Laguz.

"Very well, but I 'on't have a weapon…"

"Just keep close to me," he suggested, and the girl nodded. Transforming into his Laguz form once again, he beckoned the girl with his tail, and he met up with the other three members in their makeshift group after exiting the cell.

"What's the status?" Khimari asked Soren.

"Most of the soldiers have been taken care of, and all that's left is the general and two knights, along with a halberdier blocking our exit path," he summed up.

"I'll handle the halberdier, while you all meet up and deal with the boss. If you want, you can wait for me to come back," the wolf said, before rushing to take on the Daein lance user. Raising his lance, he took the first swipe at the Laguz, circling around before attempting a vertical blow that was easily avoided by his target, before he found himself with a bleeding arm. As Khimari went on the quick offensive, the lancer swung his lance horizontally in a last ditch attempt, and slightly scratched the wolf, though it didn't even make the Laguz flinch as he continued the advance and bit the man's neck, dealing the killing blow.

Finished with his end, he came back to see that everyone had met up with each other and was taking on the last three enemy soldiers remaining. It was easily in their favor; considering that the odds were about 4 to 1, and he could see that he didn't need to help them out with the enemy. Instead, Khimari went back to where he left the girl, and ended up with two other people; the other prisoners, he assumed.

Reverting back to his Beorc form, he leaded the three on. "Come follow me," he commanded, and while the two boys were slightly hesitant, the girl followed his instruction without any second thought. The other two eventually just settled on trusting the Laguz, and the four went over to the exit staircase, which led out another clearing where the merchant caravan hid themselves.

"You're back!" Aimee shouted, being the first to spot the four. "Where's everyone else?"

"They're just about done, I just came to bring the rescued prisoners," Khimari answered.

"Well, ok…" Aimee replied. "Just get that blood off you! You may be nice, but that makes you look like a savage!" she commented.

"Ok, ok," Khimari said, rolling his eyes at the squeamish merchant. He still complied with her demand though, and went to the nearest stream he could find before proceeding to wash himself off, much like the battle in Gallia. He came back not but a few minutes later, to find that Ike was talking to the three prisoners along with Elincia.

"All right," Ike started. "We know where Kieran stands, but what about you two? Will you recognize Princess Elincia as the rightful heir to the throne and fight for her?" he questioned the two.

"Look here," the older man said. "I'm Brom, and this is Nephenee, and we're just simple 'ol country dwellers from the same territory. We don't know much 'bout nobles n' stuff, especially when you're just workin' in the fields. 'Course, we know we'd be in trouble if someone took our fields 'way from us; heck, that's why we joined the militia in the first place! This Daein king's no friend of ours, and I hear he's doin' more horrible things now. I'm so worried sick 'bout mah family; I'm worried straight inta blindness, I tell ya!"

"If you can beat the king of Daein, will the country go back to the way it used ta be? Is that why you're fightin'?" Nephenee asked, the princess thinking very hard about what the two had presented to her.

"It is my hope," Elincia responded. "I may not be as strong as my father, but I shall never abandon Crimea," she declared, sincere in all her words.

"Well, you sound like a lady who follows her word!" Brom observed, impressed. "Looks like mah choice is easy!" he bellowed, giving a great laugh.

"Mine too," Nephenee added, in a much less exuberant way.

"Thank you," Elincia thanked the two, nodding to the two country folk.

"I beg your pardon…" another voice said, and everyone turned around to see the pilgrim that Ike rescued first, before they were ambushed by reinforcements.

"O Blessed Saint…"

"Master Sephiran! Ya still kickin'!"

"Brom, Nephenee," Sephiran said. "Are either of you injured?"

"We're fine, thanks to that young lad over there that helped us out!" Brom answered, pointing to Khimari, who was silent during the whole exchange. "But what 'bout you? Ya got put behind bars for helpin' us out! We're sorry!" he apologized, Nephenee nodding her head in agreement.

"Everyone is fine, and that is what matters. There is nothing to fret about," the monk waved off, before walking off alone. Having a seeking feeling about the man, he ran towards the monk, not going far before he caught up with the man.

"Excuse me?" Khimari called, making the other man turn around.

"Yes?" the man responded, before seeing who it was. "Oh, you are the one who helped Brom and Nephenee to safety. I sincerely thank you for helping them," he said.

"There's no need for thanks. However, I can't help but be curious about you," Khimari explained.

"Why is that?" Sephiran asked, his posture not betraying any emotion besides natural curiosity.

"I feel like…I've seen you somewhere important," he said. "You wouldn't happen to have any connection to anyone would you?" the wolf asked, suspicious of the "monk."

"I would not. I am simply a traveling monk. Maybe you have confused me with another," he suggested.

"Maybe, but that feeling about you…you aren't just some random monk, are you?" he pried.

"Determined to find answers, and persistent as well, quality traits in any warrior. If you'll forgive me, I'd have to be going, now. Farewell, young warrior. I am certain we shall meet again," Sephiran vaguely said, before disappearing into the surrounding forest. Choosing to ignore that puzzle piece for now, Khimari returned back to the group, to find that his father returned from whatever errand he was doing.

"First a mysterious thief, then a mysterious monk!" Ranulf remarked. "You have a crazy way of attracting weird characters, don't you?" he asked rhetorically.

"You finished all of your errands?" Ike returned, ignoring the snide remark that he had received so many times from the cat's child, ignoring it became second nature.

"Yep! All done! But those two guys…"

"Yeah, they're both kinda mysterious," Ike agreed.

"Well, the monk seems…decent enough, I guess."

"Trying to see who is friend or foe is something that I need to be able to know how to do. But it's just so hard," Ike admitted, honestly confused about trustworthiness.

"That just because you have little to no information about them. For now, all you can do is press on," Ranulf advised.

"You're right," Ike admitted, before going back to lead the troops to their destination. "Everyone!" he called, getting all of their attention. "It is time to continue our journey to Port Toha!" he informed everyone, who quickly took position, and the group began journeying again after Rhys and Mist finished healing everybody's wounds.

It was another journey, and they would be getting to Port Toha soon. Khimari was staying near the back of the group this time, and was looking at everyone before his eyes set on the three recruits. Curious to see how they were holding up, the wolf went to ask the three.

"Hey there," he greeted, turning the three's attention towards the wolf. "I just wanted to give you guys a proper welcome, and you can come to me if there's anything you want to ask," he introduced.

"Well, ain't you a mighty nice young 'un!" Brom said. "We still haven't thanked ya for helpin' us get outta there, either, but you're already showin' us kindness once again!" the man praised.

"Yeah…You're a kind one, that's for sure…" Nephenee agreed shyly.

"Oh, forgive her please! She's a shy one 'round people she's not used to yet," the older knight explained.

"Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of," Khimari said, shrugging. "I know how nervous I was when I met my own race for the first time since I could remember," he reminisced. "It's just something you've got to be used to," he told the mint-haired girl.

"T-thanks," Nephenee said, surprised that someone would be so accepting of her despite her accent, and where she came from.

"Well no problem!" the Laguz waved off, giving a small smile at the two. "If I judged people just because of an upbringing that wasn't the same, I'd be calling myself a hypocrite!" Brom laughed at Khimari's comment while Nephenee couldn't help but give a smile herself at the Laguz's infectious happiness.

"Well, we're here!" Ranulf announced. "Welcome to Port Toha!" Ranulf called, behind him a small town where people were just going around like war wasn't even a word.

"Why are people just going on with their lives like nothing's happening?" Ike asked the cat. "Don't they worry about Daein, or the war?"

"This place is fairly isolated compared to everywhere else. Daein hasn't come this far, and life simply goes on. Daein's plan is to seize the capital, then ensnare its yarn of influence until it controls everything," Ranulf explained.

"The people at least has a small idea of what's happening in their country, right?"

"Ignorance is a form of bliss, is it not? These people doesn't know what it's like to lose a war, and they don't want to know. Crimea is a nation that has always been blessed by peace," the mage remarked.

"Even I know that this peace will not last," Ike replied.

"Humans are shameless creatures that will carelessly ignore other misfortunes that do not befall them directly," the mage said. "They often do turn a blind eye to all manner of wickedness so long as it doesn't harm them or their own kin," he explained. "Maybe they will understand when Daein comes to their doorstep, and leaves their sons and daughters dead in the street to rot. And even then, I would have no sympathy," he harshly said, before going somewhere else.

"…Well, that was…descriptive," Khimari described.

"It seems like the nastier the truth, the blunter he gets…That's quite a charming staff you have there, Ike," the Gallian joked.

"Well, he's always been like that, but…this is quite different, even for him. Something's bugging him, for sure," Ike noted.

"Soren's a very empathetic young man, and the emotions here are a bit hard for even me to swallow. Maybe it's supposed to be expected of him, in a place like this," Titania added.

"Ignoring impending doom because you can't prevent it…Maybe those who never notice are the ones we should envy…" Ranulf muttered, clearly in his own thoughts.

"What? Why'd you say that?" Ike asked.

"Wait, who? Oh, I was talking to myself, don't worry," he told the mercenary. "Well, now I've got to go see someone about a ship," he said. "Why don't you get your supplies and things ready while I'm gone? You've got a big journey ahead of you."

"Why don't I go with you?" Titania asked.

"No, you're fine, and you still need to look over your supplies and make sure everything is…whatever word I'm looking for right now," he tried to play off.

"I know I should, but…"

"Titania, what's wrong?" Ike asked.

"She worried about little 'ol me, a solitary Laguz walking around in a Beorc city and all of that," the cat explained.

"But Crimea and Gallia are allies," the clueless Beorc reminded the two. "Why would a wandering Laguz be cause for concern?"

"Remember what King Caineghis told you, Ike? That friendship is only between ruling classes, the commonfolk have no mind of it at all," the paladin explained.

"That being said, since the last Crimean king, Ramon, the Laguz hunts and all of that disappeared," Ranulf added. "But really, don't worry! I have some connections, you see. It's not like I'm going to be going around the docks with a sign that says 'Cat for hire!'" Ranulf eased.

"Well, the job is yours," Ike returned the joke. "And be careful."

"You too, don't get yourself into any street fights, and I'll be back in about…two hours, give or take," he said, before taking off towards the docks.

"What do we do now?" Titania asked Ike.

"I guess…we just take a load off, and look around town for a while," he decided, and no one seemed to have any objection with that. Everyone eventually spread out, though some decided to go back to the forest for a while longer.

"You guys aren't coming with us?" Ike asked, seeing as the three Laguz of the group weren't too keen on going into the town just for looking around.

"Around a whole town of detestable Beorc? No thanks, you can do whatever you want to do," Lethe scathingly explained.

"For once, I…somewhat agree with her," Khimari said, much to Ike and Lethe's surprise. "Not the detestable part, but, it doesn't look like they'd be friendly to see a tail or something," he elaborated, which did make sense to the swordsman.

"Well, alright, but remember to meet us back here in two hours to depart," he reminded, before heading off himself. With that in place, the three Laguz walked back to a somewhat desolate clearing in the forest, before they decided to take a load-off. Transforming, Khimari laid down under the shade of a tree, something he had done many times before in his life, while the two Gallians decided to have some conversation going.

"Lethe, what do you think of Beorc? Has your mind changed?" the peaceful tiger asked, leading Khimari's curiosity to join the two in order to listen to the cat's response.

"They're…tolerable," she said, though one could see that she had some hidden words behind that response. "Trustworthy, for sure, but I'm not here to make friends. This was only because the king ordered it," she returned, once again showing off her hard exterior.

"Is that it?" Khimari asked, holding back a snort at the orange cat.

"You don't believe me?" she asked, oddly not a hiss or some scathing remark.

"No, I believe you, and I believe you're hiding something," he told her bluntly.

"…Why couldn't you be one of the dumb Laguz?" Lethe finally asked the wolf, proving that she did have some reserved feelings.

"When have you ever known a wolf to be stupid?" he snorted back, earning a grunt in response from the annoyed cat.

"Apparently, never, considering you're the only one I know…" she trailed off, giving said wolf something to smirk about, before she noticed something. "Why are you transformed?" she asked Khimari.

"It's more comfortable," he responded.

"Ok, now I can call you stupid," Lethe said. "You should know that you can only stay transformed for oh so long, right?" she mentioned.

"Actually, I can stay like this as long as I want to, so myeh!" he shot back, sticking his tongue out at the cat, before quickly retreating it back before Lethe could claw it out of his mouth.

"Don't mock me!" she hissed.

"…Are you mad about something?" the wolf asked, seemingly oblivious to the Gallian's eyes twitching angrily and uncontrollably.

"Lethe, calm down. Khimari is wolf, they are natural pranksters," Mordecai mentioned, which did make enough sense to calm the agitated cat down.

"Aww, over already?" Khimari pouted.

"Khimari should not rile people up on purpose all the time," Mordecai lightly chided. "Though sometimes, it is funny," he finished, a grin shown at Lethe.

"Not you too, Mordecai!" the victim yelled, before rounding in on Khimari. "You. Fight me!" she said, determined to set this jokester in his place.

"Meh…I'm good, but thanks for the offer," Khimari politely turned down, more attracted to the idea of messing around with Lethe.

"Oh, I see…" Lethe said, before an idea came to her to play the wolf's game. "You're just afraid I'll beat you like I did in Gallia isn't it?" she taunted, knowing the wolf was likely to be sore over that topic.

"Okay, first off, I was extremely tired from running nearly non-stop for an entire day from dawn to well past nightfall, and remember, you attacked me for a good long time before I started fighting back," he reminded.

"I still beat you, though," she repeated.

"No one beat anyone, considering Mordecai broke up the fight-thank you for that, by the way," he once again shot down, said tiger giving a nod of acknowledgement at the wolf's thanks.

"Thank you?" she shadowed Khimari's words. "So you were glad Mordecai stopped me from beating you to a pulp, is that it?"

"No, I'm glad Mordecai stopped us so I could get some sleep," the wolf rebutted.

"You seemed to get a lot of sleep from being knocked unconscious for a whole day and a half," Lethe commented, Khimari visibly wincing at the memory.

"Okay…that was uncalled for," he growled, not too happy with something he wanted to forget about being shoved in his face again.

"Can't take the heat?" she taunted once again.

"…You know what? It's time to teach kitty a lesson," he declared, much to the delight of the cat Laguz.

"Well, I think it's time to put a prankster in his place," she returned, enjoying the upcoming battle. Mordecai could do nothing but simply sigh at the two bickering Laguz. At least, he could make sure things didn't get too violent.

"I'll judge match," he announced. "I decide who wins, and remember: no teeth or claws," he dictated, to the agreement of the two, who already took their sides at the opposite side of the clearing. "…Begin!" he shouted, and the two Laguz shot at each other.

In the fight, Khimari was clearly the one with the advantage over Lethe, being stronger and faster as it could be seen from their first clash in Gallia. The cat took a realization over this, and theorized that she would have to outsmart the wolf if she had any chance at victory, and that was a tall order in itself.

Avoiding fighting the wolf head on, Lethe simply made some distance between the two while trying to form a strategy. It was hard though, considering she was getting extremely riled up at the sight of the bored wolf licking his chest fur without a care in the world. Deciding to take advantage of the wolf's overconfidence, she rushed forward with the act of boldly rushing in.

Much to her delight, he took the bait, and got ready to pounce as well, and as she jumped, he would go over her, leaving his underbelly wide open…Until she was surprised to see the wolf shoot along the ground, bounding toward her while she was coming down to land, unable to do much of anything for a quick moment. As she landed, he quickly swiped at her front paws before headbutting her side, effectively pushing her off balance.

It didn't take long for her to stop rolling and regain her footing again, though the second she did the wolf was on her again. Khimari jumped when he was but a few feet away from Lethe, and the wolf came down on her, ensuring a true tussle between the two; exactly what she wanted to avoid.

She found herself quickly overwhelmed, and struggled to get out of the bind, to no avail as the wolf's grasp was iron-tight, and pinned her down on her stomach fast. She let out an indignant meow seeing as she lost, considering she couldn't do anything because her paws were facing the ground, preventing any sort of comeback attack. "Get _off_ me, you big lug!" she yowled, and the wolf complied with her demand, hopping off of the cat, who reverted back to Beorc form.

"I think that settles things," the wolf chirped in happiness, much to the cat's ire.

"Lethe, this battle was harder than most, was it not?" Mordecai noted, seeing that the cat had to push herself to the limit, something she rarely did.

"Psh!" she hissed, not willing to admit that she had no chance. "He's…a worthy opponent. Strong and smart warriors are a rarity now, most only care about one thing or the other," she admitted anyway.

"Well, if it's any consolation, you made me think more than regular battles where everyone just tries to take me head-on," the wolf complimented, earning a snort from Lethe.

"It can't be that easy, can it?" she asked in disbelief. "You must have to train nearly every day to reach a level like that!"

"Well, you're close…The thing is, I hate training, but I would end up in a spar pretty much every day, so I guess that could count as training," the wolf explained, and it made a lot of sense to Lethe how that would work.

"Hm…That sounds like a good way to train, without it feeling like training," the cat mused. "Say…would you mind…being my…sparring partner?" Lethe asked Khimari.

"…What?" Khimari said, not expecting that question.

"For such big ears, you have a hard time hearing!" the fiery cat retorted, before calming down. "It would be beneficial, considering you are a strong opponent, and I can…learn from you, seeing as our battle styles are similar, and you have experience with dealing with other Beorc," she explained, swallowing her pride and admitting that the wolf was better than her.

"Well…I don't see why not," Khimari responded, honestly looking forward to it. It's been a long while fighting no one but Beorc, and a Laguz for sparring with could help for many things dealing with similar opponents and whatnot. "Just tell me whenever you want, and we can get started!" he agreed, showing a wide smile at the cat, before continuing.

"Though, make sure to ask some of the other Beorc as well, that would be helpful as well, considering they may have a lot of tips," he advised before catching Lethe's skeptical look. "Well, start off with the more friendly ones first, like Ike or Oscar for example, then work your way down."

"That…may work," she considered, pondering the advice she had been given. "I'll be sure to try that at a later time," she said, before Mordecai came in the conversation, pleased that Lethe was starting to warm up to the Beorc; even if only slightly, and that Khimari was helping her along.

"It is time to return to where Ike told us," he informed the two Laguz, and looking at the sun, they realized the tiger was right Khimari reverted back to his Laguz form quickly, and the three walked back to the town entrance, to see that most of the group returned to the designated location, Ike included along with Princess Elincia. There were just two or three missing, Khimari guessed from surveying the crowd.

"You guys are back?" Ike asked the Laguz.

"Well, we aren't ghosts," Khimari responded in his usual maddening tone. Before Ike could mutter some kind of retort, the princess lightly tapped Ike's shoulder, grabbing his attention.

"My Lord Ike, there's a crowd gathering at the town entrance…" she pointed, and everyone looked over to see that people had indeed gathered around, and at the end of a crowd…was a whole squad of Daein soldiers.

"Attention citizens!" a soldier spoke. "We've received reports of Crimean army stragglers taking refuge in this town!" he revealed. "From this point forth, Daein will blockade all points of entry, and no one comes or goes without our leave! Also, no ships will be allowed to set sail, and the harbor is closed!" he announced, and the citizens dispersed without any sort of protest, simply going along like nothing ever happened while the soldiers went on to the harbor.

"Have you seen Ranulf yet?" Titania asked Ike, worried about the cat.

"No, I-wait, here he comes now," Ike amended, and the paladin looked over to see that it was indeed the blue-haired cat Laguz.

"Flyin' mice! Things are starting to heat up, aren't they?" the cat asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, they are. How did your side of things go?" Khimari asked.

"Everything's ready to go! Sneaking down to the harbor is all you need to do. Once you get there, you'll meet a man with a dusky pallor, his name is Nasir. You can trust him. I've explained the situation to him, and he's willing to help. Get to his ship safely, and he'll take care of the rest and you're on a trip to Begnion," he summarized.

"You're not coming with us?" Ike asked.

"Well, I was planning to, but Daein's action of late are concerning, so I've decided to stay back and see what's going on," he explained. Before the conversation could ensue, a woman carrying a bag was running and bumped into the cat.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized profusely. "I wasn't looking where I was going…"

"No, Pardon me-" Ranulf tried to downplay…until his tail accidently slipped out of his disguise, and the woman saw it.

"Eeeek! S-Sub-human!" she yelled loudly, running away to some other people, but the damage was done, as the citizens all started to gather around the scene.

"It's true! A sub-human!" a man said, before his expression changed into anger. "How dare your kind come prowling around here!" he shouted, punching Ranulf in his face, and the cat pretended that it hurt, though in reality, it didn't.

"You dumb stinkin' sub-human!" a little kid said, imitating the older man. "Don't ya know human towns are too good for ya!" he insulted, kicking Ranulf legs.

"Eww, so hairy!" another woman said, looking at his tail and hair. "Scat!" she yelled, hitting him as well, causing the Laguz to collapse in "pain" as the more violent townsmen started to gang up on him.

"Damn!" Ike cursed, before turning to the other Laguz. "Khimari! Mordecai!"

"Ike, we must leave!" Mordecai told the frantic mercenary commander.

"What? But we have to help Ranulf!" Ike refused.

"All of this noise is going to attract the Daein troops," Khimari added in.

"Exactly! We need to hurry and help-" he tried to reason, until Lethe interrupted him.

"He'll be fine!" she said. "Leave him."

"Ike," the wolf calmly said. "Did dad get his position for being weak? I hate to say it, but he'll be fine."

"But he's not defending himself! Look, he's not transforming or anything! I can't watch him get beat down!" he stubbornly said, before going to help the Gallian.

"Ike!" Mordecai called, to no avail as the blue-head kept his advance towards the cat.

"Idiot…" Lethe muttered as he broke through the crowd to get to Ranulf. Oddly enough, Khimari couldn't help but agree; don't get him wrong, if Ranulf was in real danger, he'd have no trouble cutting people down, but these were just harmless commonfolk who had no idea what they were doing.

"Who do ya think you are?" the kid from earlier yelled. "Why would a human want to protect a sub-human?"

"He's friends with the beast! I saw them talking earlier!" the woman who crashed into Ranulf explained.

"What's it to you?" he harshly returned.

"Hey, the Crimean Royals had beasts for companions, right? Maybe he's one of the folk Daein's looking for!" the youth thought out loud.

"Hey, Daein soldier!" the man yelled, getting the black-armored man's attention. "We've got suspicious folk over here!" he informed him.

"Huh? I'll report to Commander Mackoya!" the soldier said, before rushing off in the direction of the docks.

"Are you mad?" Ike hissed, nearly seeing red at the people. "Your king was murdered by Daein, and now you're helping them!?"

"Well…" the man faltered, not having an excuse to make up for then, until the young boy from earlier chimed in.

"I heard the king was killed because he tried to make peace with those sub-humans!"

"Yeah!" another random woman piggybacked. "If we need allies, some flesh-and-blood Daeins would beat some fanged monster any day!"

"You people are insane!" Ike said in pure anger and spite.

"Where's this sub-human everyone's talking about?" a man with a sword asked, and the townspeople seemed happy to see him.

"Hoorah!" and old man cried out. "The Toha Vigilantes are here! Get them and turn them over to Daein! Our village will get favor!" he said, before disappearing back into his house, along with all the other townsfolk.

"If you need some sub-humans hunted down, I'm your man!" he said as the last of the people retreated into their homes. Not bearing to take this anymore, Khimari stepped forward and snatched Ike's sword out of his sheathe.

"What are-" the mercenary leader didn't have time to finish his question as the wolf Laguz quickly parried the vigilante's attack and knocked his weapon away, before pointing Ike's sword at his throat.

"Leave," he said quietly, though those who heard it were unnerved at the tone in his voice, promising a horrible death if his words wasn't heeded. The vigilante saw the Laguz's slitted, stone-cold eyes, filled with anger and wrath, and didn't need to be told twice before running out of the village, scared out of his wits.

"Here you go," Khimari said, giving Ike his weapon back as Ranulf got up and dusted himself off.

"Ike! Why did you come back?" the cat asked.

"Because some fool was going to lay here and get himself beaten to death!" he retorted.

"Oh, Ike," Ranulf said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Gallia and Crimea have an alliance, and I can't jeopardize that by harming some people who bear ill towards me," he explained.

"Even if they don't give a flying fig about their country?"

"Even if," the Laguz explained.

"Well, I'm not Gallian, so I've no reason-"

"Ike!" Ranulf scolded, clearly not accepting of that idea. "They have the idea that we're allies! If you attack, it's no different if I attacked them!"

"Let me guess: you want me to avoid the Daein pursuit, ignore the vigilante ship, get to Nasir and get out of here as possible, right?" he listed.

"I don't care what anybody says, I think you're pretty bright!" Ranulf said with a small grin, earning a large snort of disbelief from his child.

"He has his moments, but I wouldn't say bright, per se…" Khimari added.

"I'll play along," Ike agreed, preventing the incoming debate between the two Laguz over his intelligence. "But mark my words, if they come swinging, head's are going to roll!" he promised, before going over to Soren and Titania for battle preparations to get to the harbor.

"What? That's not going to help anything!" Ranulf called out, only to be ignored by the blue-haired swordsman.

"Well, looks like you're between fire and a mouse trap," Khimari commented, seeing the predicament that they somehow landed themselves in, as a whole.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," he agreed, before the two of them saw some Daein soldiers coming towards them. "Well, Khimari, good luck to all of you, though I know you'll be fine. It looks like I'm going to play a game of cat and mouse with these fools," he said as he took off his cloak completely.

"My gosh, if they're going to be on your tail that much, they should buy you dinner first," the younger of the two mentioned.

"I'll tell them…" the Laguz dryly said before transforming and running out of the village, in a way that the Daein troops would automatically see them.

"There's the Gallian sub-human! Don't let him get away!" the soldier yelled, and the rest followed him, completely forgoing Ike and the others.

"Everyone, move out for the harbor!" Ike commanded. "Also, try to avoid the local vigilante group if you can. Let's go!" he rallied, and that's when the battle began. Instantly, three groups were formed; to go through the three different pathways to the harbor. Khimari ended up going with the third group, along with Ike, Titania, Lethe, and Rolf. They went along the northern path, and almost instantly they were met by the Toha Vigilantes.

Following Ike's directions, the makeshift group did their best do avoid any fatal injuries or killing, instead settling for knocking them unconscious. Khimari quickly finished knocking his opponent out, smashing his head on the hard bridge. Turning his head, he quickly saw Lethe talking with one of the vigilantes, and bounded over to where she was.

"I will join your group," the man said to the cat.

"Don't be ridiculous!" she hissed, though to Khimari, any helping hands would be appreciated.

"What's your name? And you too," he asked the two Laguz.

"Lethe, and this is Khimari," she impatiently introduced.

"I'm Zihark, well met," he returned.

"I hate to break up this little date between you, but we have a fight, so come on," Khimari said, adding a little joke in their for comedic relief.

"Understood!" Zihark agreed, before going north in Ike's direction.

"What are you-" Lethe never got to finish her question as Khimari bounded away to rejoin with the group. Hss!" she hissed before going back to the group as Khimari did. Coming back to the scene, she saw that the three Beorc made quick work of the soldiers, Ike and Titania leading the front charge as Rolf pelted the remaining ones with arrows. By the time they dealt with the last soldier in the area, they were about to meet up with the other two groups at the harbor, before Ike's eyes were caught by a figure walking towards them.

"It's him!" he shouted, making everyone follow his eyes to see…the Black Knight.

"Ike, forget revenge right now!" Khimari told his surrogate brother. "This isn't the time, nor the place!"

"No!" Ike stubbornly said. "He needs to pay," he said in finality, staring as the Black Knight got closer.

"Oh, why-Ike, everyone here needs you, not another dead commander! Are you going to end up dead, or are you going to use your head and get out of here!?"

"But…You're right," Ike realized, but it was too late as the Daein general was already upon them.

"So we meet again," he said, raising his sword.

"Ike, get out of here, now!" Khimari commanded.

"But-"

"NOW!" Khimari hissed. "Hurry and get the ship ready, and I'll join you when you're done," he said, in a tone that invited no argument.

"…Fine," Ike said reluctantly. "But you'd better survive!" he said, before retreating away to where everyone else was, taking on the commander and retaking the harbor from the Daein troops.

"You would sacrifice yourself for your comrades? Admirable," the knight commented.

"I'm not sacrificing myself, because I'm not dying here," Khimari growled, before jumping at the knight. The Black Knight easily parried his attack before carrying through with his own, much like the first battle.

Using his memory to his advantage, this time Khimari jumped over the knight's arm and attempted an attack, and though it did no damage to the knight, his armor did slightly crack, fazing the knight ever so slightly. "There is no aura around you…yet you retain the ability to crack my armor?" he mused, though Khimari would spare nothing against this opponent.

Rushing forward again, Khimari quickly slashed his claws again, only to be parried again by the knight. Before the knight could counterattack, however, Khimari attacked again at the same place the armor was cracked, and thankfully the armor broke, his claws piercing the skin of the Black Knight.

"Khimari!" Ike called, and Khimari looking over to see the mercenary commander with Titania on her horse, the ship getting ready to set sail.

Quickly turning back to the knight, he gave a growl to the Daein general. "As much as I'd love to rip that helmet of yours off, I have to go," he said, before quickly running away towards Ike and Titania, leaving the Black Knight to stare at the three as they escaped to the ship and went off into the sea.

"So they boarded the ship safely…Now, how to proceed…" the knight thought, before his thinking aloud was interrupted.

"You're not impeding that ship," a voice said, and he turned to see Ranulf standing there.

"…A Gallian beast warrior," the Black Knight murmured, before he remembered this particular one. "I've seen you before, at the destroyed base where the other one fought me, yes…and the castle near the sea of trees," he reminisced, thinking of the two times he met the warrior.

"Actually, we've met three times, from my point of view," Ranulf added.

"Oh?" the knight wondered curiously.

"I saw you that night…in the light of the full moon, when you murdered Sir Greil," he informed the Daein general, before the latter gave a small chuckle.

"You were one traveling with the beast king, eh? Interesting…By measuring the aide's power, I will naturally learn more of the king's power himself," he mused.

"Sorry, but the king is way out of my league to be measured against," Ranulf retorted, transforming into his Laguz form.

"All the better," the Black Knight responded. "Now, let us begin."

Ranulf gave the first attack, slashing at the knight's helmet to find that he did no damage at all, much to his bewilderment. He had no time to think about it as the knight came at him with a vertical sword attack. The blue cat dodged the strike, only for the knight to bring his sword back up to a vertical strike that met its target, creating a large cut in Ranulf's side, making the cat his in pain as he backed away from the knight.

'Why…do my attacks do nothing?' Ranulf asked himself, before his mind went back to the fight where he watched Khimari fight against the black-clad swordsman.

 _"My armor is blessed by the Goddess Ashera herself. Only other blessed weapons may pierce it."_ Now It made sense to the Gallian, that this was a useless fight.

"You fight impressively, though you are no match for me," the knight noted, until a bright orb of energy appeared above the cat, healing his wound completely, much to the amazement of the two. "Hm?"

"Huh?" Ranulf muttered, completely beclouded himself as to what happened. Untransforming, he saw that he was completely healed, and someone else came, to his defense, fortunately.

"Leave this to me," the man, Sephiran told the confused Laguz.

"You…were one of the prisoners," he realized.

"This knight will not raise his hand to me…Correct?" Sephiran said, and to Ranulf's wonder, the knight did nothing but stare at the "monk."

"Go now, quickly!" Sephiran told, and Ranulf didn't have any complaints about that.

"If you insist! I'll uh…thank you properly when we meet again," he said before leaving the two alone, on his way back to Gallia.

XXXXX

(Warning: Author's note is very explanatory)

A/N: Okay, how did I end up with over 14,000 words? Ya know what, I don't know, and I don't think it'll happen again (who am I kidding, it might be 15,000 next chapter), but this is a definite good thing. But besides giant numbers, I hope you've enjoyed, and to be honest…This chapter made me cry…Mostly because I ended up seeing myself in a character more than I would have liked, and it totally threw me off as I accidentally put a piece of myself into the story, because this is NOT as SI. But that aside, see you later, folks!


	11. Pranks, Talks, and Dragons

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Bienvenidos a capitulo once! Espero que leas la historia porque yo sé que te gustará! (I dunno why, I was in a Spanish mood…Now I want some enchiladas…Okay, I'm just happy because I'm Argentinean…I am in my head, now shut it, weird voice… Hey, Spanish 3 as a high school freshman is nothing bad…Well, I've digressed long enough, so read and enjoy it!) (I was having an internal argument)

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done_

On the boat, the mercenaries departed a while ago, and everyone was in the mess hall, eating after Oscar crafted an amazing meal, like always. Everybody was talking with each other, and things seemed to be going peachy, until Khimari noticed that Ike wasn't acting like usual. Considering he was finished eating, he went over to his surrogate brother to ask what was wrong.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Khimari asked the mercenary commander.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" Ike returned, truly curious how Khimari could see it.

"I'm done eating my 12th and last plate, Boyd just finished his 10th and last plate, but your only on your 6th plate, so something's not right," the Laguz explained.

"I'm…just not hungry," Ike answered, trying to shoo away the wolf.

"…What's wrong?" he repeated to Ike's annoyance.

"Nothing, just…fine, it's this Black Knight stuff," Ike finally gave in, knowing that the Laguz was one of the most stubborn people on Tellius.

"Hey, I told you earlier, didn't I? Don't worry about it, you're bound to get strong enough to beat him one day," Khimari comforted. "If you want, I'll even…train with you, starting tomorrow, when the sun comes up on the deck," he offered much to Ike's surprise, considering Khimari hated training.

"Not sparring? Like, actual training?" he checked just to make sure.

"Yep! But be warned, you will hurt, you will bleed, and you will want to give up," Khimari confirmed. "So, I bet it'll be a lot of fun!" he smiled, already scaring Ike a little bit.

"I'll do it. And…thank you," Ike said, before going back to get his 7th plate from Oscar, with extra veggies on the side! The wolf was so proud of Ike for getting his veggies, but that was hardly the time. Next order of business the wolf did was to go to Nasir, the captain of the chip and ask him about the training.

"Nasir?" he called, seeing the man was walking down the hallway.

"Yes?"

"Would this ship happen to have a training room or a dojo? Anything like that?" he asked.

"Why yes, there is. It's not suited for the whole company, but it will more than suffice for a small group of people, six or seven at the most to give everyone a decent amount of space to train," the man answered.

"Thank you," Khimari told him, giving a little smile.

"You are most welcome," Nasir returned, before continuing his trek down the hallways.

"Everyone, can I have your attention, please?" Titania was saying in the mess hall, prompting Khimari to go back and join everyone else in order to hear the announcement. "The room chart is right here if anyone needs to know where they'll be sleeping, but it's advised everyone checks it to make sure that there aren't any changes to be made," she announced. Interested, Khimari was the first one over to the chart.

 _Room 1: Nasir_

 _Room 2: Ike, Mist, Soren, Titania_

 _Room 3: Rhys, Zihark, Kieran, Volke_

 _Room 4: Jorge, Daniel, Aimee, Ilyana, Muston_

 _Room 5: Princess Elincia_

 _Room 6: Lethe, Mordecai_

 _Room 7: Boyd, Oscar, Rolf_

 _Room 8: Brom, Khimari, Nephenee, Mia_

"I made originally tried to make the charts based on a girl, boy ratio, but after seeing it wouldn't work out, I just tried to do it in a way that would make everyone comfortable," Titania told the Laguz, who was staring at the chart a while longer before turning to the paladin.

"That makes sense, and the rooms are varying sizes, I'd guess?"

"Ever the clever one, eh? You're right, the rooms with two or less people are the smallest, and I used that to plan as well, and the room with the merchants is the biggest, hence all five of them together," Titania further elaborated.

"That's really smart…So where are the rooms again?" Khimari sheepishly asked, scratching his head as Titania rolled her eyes.

"You know, for someone who is nearly as smart as Soren, you still have moments that make you sound like Boyd," Titania joked.

"Okay…I'm never going to be nearly as smart as Soren, I hate to admit, though it's true, and I'm DEFINITELY never going to be as dumb as Boyd," Khimari said in response to the red-head.

"Well, I can be sure of the second one, but you shouldn't underestimate yourself. I remember when you were a little wee Laguz nearly nine years ago, trying to sneak a book out of the library," she said, slightly embarrassing Khimari. "It was a book about Gallia, if I recall. You were very interested in that for one reason or another, and I must say it was very intriguing seeing a Laguz with such an interest in reading!"

"Well, I mean, it is where my race lived, and my mother used to talk about it with me before, about all the trees and things," Khimari mentioned, trying to change the subject, though to be honest, he still did read a lot, usually when no one else is around, or when Ike was sleeping.

"Do you have any clue where your mother and tribe lived before you two were separated?"

"Hmm…" Khimari thought, closing his eyes for many moments. He couldn't remember exactly what happened, he only remembers that it was very hot…and dry… "It was a desert…" he mused aloud.

"You two lived in a desert?" Titania asked, only knowing of two deserts on Tellius; the Grann Desert in Begnion and Daein's "Desert of Death."

"Yeah…we did! Thanks, Titania, I forgot I remembered that!" Khimari exclaimed, before stifling a quick yawn. Man, he was beat after a day like this… "Where are the rooms again?" he asked.

"You're so silly…They're right down the hall, after you take a left. Don't worry about getting the wrong room, the numbers are on the doors," Titania informed. Giving a nod of gratitude to the paladin, Khimari followed Titania's directions, and kept going down the hall until he saw the sign on the door that said (8), with everyone's names on the door that was supposed to be in the room. Opening the door, he was somewhat surprised to see that Brom was already in the room.

"Well, hey there young 'un!" Brom greeted, already in his bed. "How ya doin'?"

"I'm doing just fine, and you, Brom?" Khimari returned, as he went over to his own bed, next to Brom's.

"Oh, nothin' much, I was just talkin' to mah family," he replied, confusing the wolf for a second until he saw that there were some rocks lying next to the night on his bed.

"The rocks…are your family?" he asked, a little disbelieving of the situation. Maybe they were some kind of symbolic thing from his family.

"Well, not really, but when I left for the war, everyone in mah family lined up and gave me a rock, and now I just talk to 'em now n' then, ya know. Just things like, "Hey, how ya doin'," or "How's the crops goin'?" It sounds silly, but…"

"It doesn't sound that silly," Khimari denied. "In fact, that's a great way to keep family close…" he trailed.

"Really?" Brom responded. "Thank ya for not judgin'. It's just my way of keepin' mah family close to me."

"I can relate…" he muttered so Brom couldn't hear, as he put one of his hands on his Laguz Gem given to him by his mother when he was younger. Just then, the door opened, and Nephenee walked into the room, in a blue nightgown that went all the way down to her feet.

"Hey…so, this is where we'll be sleepin'?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yup! Welcome to room eight!" Khimari greeted, before giving another toothy yawn. "Well, it's late, so sorry for the crappy introduction…" he finished, making the two country folk share a nice little chuckle at the silly Laguz. "Is Mia coming soon?"

"I'm right here," said myrmidon responded, coming into the room with orange pajamas on, as well as her sword in her arm. "Just had to make sure I had my trusty sword with me!" she explained, and no one asked her why she did keep it as she and Nephenee went over to their respective beds and laid down. "So…" the orange-dressed swordswoman continued. "What now?"

"Well…maybe we could talk 'bout stuff, n' share some part of our lives, and all that good stuff," Brom recommended, while he finished putting his family rocks away.

"That's a good idea," Khimari agreed. "Who wants to go first?" Silence followed his question, meaning that everyone wanted him to go first, considering he agreed to it, and asked the question in the first place. "Okay, I guess I will," he sighed, before transforming into his wolf form, and laying himself down on his bed. "My name's Khimari, if I forgot to tell you, I'm seventeen, and a Laguz, as you could probably tell…I like pranks, a good fight, and rabbits, and I like stargazing and pranking people," he formally introduced with a quick yawn at the end, and the other three were starting to get a real feel of what they should say.

"Ooh, I wanna go next!" Mia exclaimed excitedly. "My name's Mia, and I'm sixteen. I like swords, swordfighting, and sweets. In my free time, I like to fence and try out different desserts from all over the place!" she followed.

"Yah want me to go next?" Brom asked, before a nod from Nephenee pretty much sealed that deal. "Aw well, mah name's Brom, and I'm a good forty-two years ol'. I like spendin' some time wit' mah family, and tending to the crop fields back in my good ol' town, Ohma," he summed up next, leaving Nephenee as the last one left.

"Um..." she nervously started. "I-I'm Nephenee, a-and, I'm a seventeen years old…" she started before closing her eyes for a second.

"Don't be nervous, no one here's gonna judge ya," Khimari encouraged lightly, Brom and Mia nodding their heads along with the wolf's statement. Gaining some more confidence, the mint-haired soldier continued her self-description.

"I like…workin' in the fields with mah ma and mah siblings back at the farm back home, and I like...lookin' at the stars at night and harvest season back at the farm," she finished, before giving a small yawn herself.

"Maybe we should call it lights out tonight, and start some fun stuff tomorrow!" Mia suggested with less exuberance than normal, showing that even she was starting to get sleepy. The other three agreed, and with a quick chorus of good nights, Brom turned off the lantern and the four went to sleep.

XXXXX

Upon waking, Ike stretched his arms up for a second before he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Getting up, he saw that Soren and Titania were already awake, the two reading two separate books. Realizing what he was doing today, he got out of bed with a little haste in his steps. "Where are you going, getting up this early?" Titania questioned, as Ike was getting his sword out, as well as his band that he took off the night before.

"I'm going to train with Khimari," the mercenary commander answered.

"Training?" she echoed, knowing that the Laguz really didn't like training as opposed to sparring.

"Yes; I was a little surprised too, but he seemed serious when he offered it. He's a good teacher, too, so it couldn't hurt," Ike responded, before he decided that he was ready. "I'll see you later, and tell Mist where I went," he said, before exiting the room, and making his way up to the ship's top deck.

It didn't take him long to get there, and he found Khimari quietly sitting in wait for him, staring at the horizon as he laid in his wolf form. "You're late," he said, getting up and lightly stretching before making his way over to the Beorc. "The sun has been up for at least five minutes."

"But…I'm sorry, it won't happen again," Ike amended, seeing as the wolf was deciding to take this seriously after all.

"Good. Now," the Laguz started, pointing his head over to the ship's end. "I want you to start here," he motioned to the place where a wall came across the ship entrance and the railing, "and run all away around the railing of the ship ten times."

"That's it?" Ike asked, knowing that it wasn't much to really do, until a glare from the wolf quickly made him think otherwise.

"I wasn't finished. You get a three and a half lap head-start, then I start to come after you. Every time I manage to touch you, you repeat everything all over again until you go the whole ten laps, head-start included," he continued. Ike's eyes went wide at the training exercise, but his eyes quickly hardened seeing what is was for. Speed and flexibility was an important thing, especially in battle, and this tested both of those skills.

Following his surrogate brother over to where he wanted Ike to start, he stood over at the exact place, and Ike got ready to run. "…Start!" the wolf growled, and Ike took off. He didn't find it hard, considering that Greil did make them do something similar to this as trainees. Three laps came and went by pretty fast, then, Khimari started his chase.

Ike quickly found out that the wolf was chasing him when he heard something on the deck, and nearly immediately started running as fast as he could as he was pursued. It was all for nothing, however, as Khimari easily caught up to the ranger and placed his paw on his back, signaling that Ike didn't complete the task. "You got caught. Again," the Laguz ordered, and Ike repeated the cycle.

This what they did for the next hour or so, Ike getting his head-start before he was chased down by Khimari. The Beorc did not manage to get very much accomplished, only achieving to finish five laps by the end of the exercise, and that was when Khimari was in his two-legged form to give Ike somewhat of a chance. Now, Ike was dripping in sweat from head to toe and breathing hard, although he could tell he was far from done. "Follow me," the untransformed Laguz told Ike, and the two went passed the rooms to arrive at a dojo like place.

"Now, we focus on combat and reflexes, so, we're going to fight," Khimari explained, and Ike reached for a wooden sword over there before Khimari slapped his shoulder. "No swords, just hand-to-hand." Ike's eyes widened once again at the stipulation; this training was clearly taking him out of his comfort zone. Not replying, the two went to opposite sides of the room. "You start," the wolf offered, and Ike took it.

Going for the offensive, he tried to go for a quick swipe, before Khimari dodged it while sweeping Ike's feet from under him, effectively making him fall on his back. "Too stiff and predictable. Stay light on your feet and loosen up." Ike tried again, with the advice in mind, and rushed his surrogate brother again. This time, he tried to aim a little lower, so the wolf couldn't duck down. Instead, Khimari simply grabbed Ike's arm before tripping Ike once again.

This continued for a while, Ike trying to land a hit on the wolf while improving his own stance. Another gambit, Ike went straight for a sweep, which Khimari jumped over. Ike blocked his brother's kick with his arm, and then grabbed it for a swing. What he didn't expect was for Khimari's other foot to come crashing into the back of his head, knocking him down again as the Laguz landed on his feet.

Looking over at the Beorc, he was slightly worried that he went too far a good bit when Ike didn't get up, until he found out that he was knocked out, not for long, though. Deciding that it was enough for one day, considering both he and Ike were covered in sweat, though he had way less than the other blue-head. Khimari took Ike on his shoulder and carried him back to his room, to find his three roommates still in there. "Oh goodness, Ike!" Mist said worriedly, being the first to see her unconscious brother, followed by Titania and Soren. "What happened?"

"Training," Khimari answered as he put Ike down on his bead.

"Wow, I honestly didn't know you worked him that hard," Titania remarked, seeing Ike covered with little bruises along his arms and even some on his face. "It was just you and him?" she asked, curious about what the two did to get him in such a state.

"Yeah. We were sparring down in the whatchamacallit room, and while we were practicing, I accidently knocked his lights out," Khimari explained, scratching his head at the end with a small smile.

"Really?" Mist said exasperatedly. "Now you're knocking him out too? No wonder his vocabulary is so limited!" she scolded, before wrinkling her nose at the Laguz. "And you stink! Go take a shower, yeesh!" she demanded, heading away from the Laguz.

"Okay, bossy," Khimari joked before heading over to where Mist basically shooed him off to. He wasted no time in taking a shower, and returned to his room to put on his clothes again before going back to check on Ike. Opening the door this time, he could see that Ike was starting to stir. His eyes then wandered to see that Soren was the only one still in the room, reading a book.

Walking over, he looked at the title of the book, which said, "The Cycles of Life," before Soren took his book away from the Laguz's eyesight and turned over. "Come on, what's it about?" Khimari asked.

"The title, which I'm sure you had enough time to read, is self-explanatory to the book's contents," the mage responded.

"True, but what are the sub-content areas? Are they of a specific animal family, or is it simply a guide of all ecosystem's food webs and chains?" Khimari specified, leading Soren to raise an eyebrow.

"…It is of Beorc and Laguz as they grow, along with the similarities and contrasts of the two races. Though that is the main topic, it also gives information about evolution as well as some insect knowledge of the same type," he informed the wolf.

"Hmmm…"Khimari hummed, thinking about what the mage told him. "What does it say of evolution?"

"The book explains of Beorc and Laguz as originally being one race, called the-"

"Zunanma," Khimari interjected. "They were there when the goddess herself walked the land, and they gave comfort to the lonely girl. During the change of time, they eventually became Beorc and Laguz, the children of wisdom and strength, respectively. They couldn't respect each other's differences, however, and it eventually led to conflict," the wolf continued, until he realized he interrupted Soren in the middle of his answer. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," he apologized, scratching his head as the mage simply stared at him.

"…The book does not tell of the Zunanma giving comfort to the goddess, or even being there when the goddess walked the land," he revealed. "Where did you find that information?"

"I…was pretty interested in evolution and biology myself, once upon a time. I came across a book one time when I was looking for something about Gallia or the wolf tribe," he admitted, once again making the mage raise an eyebrow.

"Well, that certainly explains very much," he remarked, making it Khimari's turn to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

"How so?"

"You always were smarter than you let on, weren't you? That would be a great explanation towards how you could pull off pranks on many magnitudes all with ease," he explained. "It also tells how refined your critical thinking skills are, as pranks would be very delicate things, and one must prepare for any possibility in case it does not go to plan." Khimari simply gave a smile at the tactician's analysis; it was spot-on and very much accurate.

"Okay, you caught me. Something told me that you would be one to find out the earliest," Khimari confirmed. Just then, Ike started to rise out of his bed, only to grab his head in pain. "Are you all right, Ike?"

"Am I all right?" he asked sarcastically, a little ticked off at the wolf. "You're a slave driver, you know that?"

"Hey, you agreed to it, and I told you it was going to push you to your limits," the Laguz defended. "It was only the first day, so don't let it get to you, especially when I haven't started using my claws yet," he happily said, much to Ike's horror.

"…I'm going to take a shower," the blue-head said, before walking out of the room at a brisk pace.

"What did you do to him?" Soren questioned, to which Khimari gave a smile.

"I gave him hell," he answered, a somewhat devilish look in his eyes.

"On second thought, I'll just ask Ike later…" the mage said before returning to his book. Letting out a quick victory laugh, Khimari exited the room, and went straight to the mess hall as per his growling stomach. He came in to see that many were still eating, and Oscar was working hard in the kitchen with Mist giving him help wherever she could.

"Oh, Khimari! I heard about your training with Ike," Oscar greeted. "I made sure to save some extra for you and Ike; don't eat it all yourself," he quickly added, a very smart move.

"Okaaay…" Khimari pouted, going to the back to see that the chef had indeed left a bountiful amount of breakfast for him and Ike. Splitting the food contents in half…maybe taking a bit more than half, Khimari went over to the table and started eating his food, which was pretty fast compared to pretty much everyone else, but still slow enough to not be considered "sloppy." Within five minutes, he was finished eating his share, and got up to see Ike coming in to have his share of food. Smirking to himself, he put his dish(es) back to see Mist taking a plate into the hall.

"Mist, where are you going with that?" he curiously asked, feeling a little nosy.

"I'm looking for Volke- he hasn't come for dinner yesterday and he didn't come get breakfast this morning. I'm looking for him to give him some food," the cleric explained.

"Well, I'm sure he'll come get some food when he's hungry," Khimari off-handedly said.

"But he's starving right now! That just won't do," Mist stubbornly exclaimed, before walking back down the halls. Khimari simply sighed, before he decided to try something.

"How much gold to eat?"

"Hundred gold," a voice responded, and Khimari turned around to see surprise, surprise, Volke in all his glory.

"But picking a lock is only fifty," Khimari noted, not seeing how food is more than a lock.

"I don't like groups of people," he shrugged, before disappearing.

"…Mist!" he called, and his little sister quickly came back into the same hallway.

"Did you see him?" she asked.

"Yeah…Oscar just gave him some food to take back to his room," Khimari lied, but Mist didn't have to know that.

"Oh…Well, I guess I'll give this to Ike, then," Mist muttered to herself, before going back into the mess hall with the plate.

Feeling satisfied with that lie of his, Khimari walked down the hallway feeling somewhat accomplished that that was finished, though he'll have to keep that up for two months…or however long they were going to be on this ship. 'Well, that was a depressing way to put it…' Khimari thought to himself. 'Maybe…I'll prank someone…not Boyd, he's too easy…I got it!' he decided, and went back to the mess hall, where Oscar was still cleaning up, though it looked like he was almost done. "Oscar, do you need some help cleaning up?" he asked the oldest of the three brothers.

"Oh, no thank you, I'm nearly finished," he replied, wiping off the last of the dishes.

"Where do you keep the-"

"Hyaah!" a voice came, startling Khimari while Oscar gave a sigh. That person just so happened to be Oscar's "rival," Kieran, who was just as boisterous as ever. "I see you, trying to win favor with your amazing cooking skills and impeccable job of cleaning! I challenge you to a clean-off! Whoever cleans the most by sundown tomorrow wins!" he basically commanded Oscar to do.

"Kieran, not-"

"No, you will not forfeit! That is not a true victory!" he proclaimed to the ceiling as he exited with just as much energy as he began with. Khimari could only shake his head, while getting a bigger grin by the second, which was noticed by Oscar.

"…Are you going to prank him?" Oscar asked, actually looking forward to this prank.

"Why yes, Oscar, and you're going to help me…" Khimari ominously confirmed, and Oscar once again sighed wondering what in the world he got himself into with this somewhat crazy-no, _crazy_ Laguz. "So, first off, I'll need some oregano and some vinegar…"

XXXXX

At the end of the day, Oscar had gained a lot of knowledge from Khimari, and was immensely impressed with the amount of information that had to go into one simple prank. "So you tell him it's especially for him, as a 'worthy meal for a worthy opponent,' and he should take the plate, then tomorrow…fireworks will roll, and he'll definitely win the cleaning contest," Khimari finished thoroughly explaining his king of all pranks, the "prison sword." Oscar simply nodded at the Laguz, as people were starting to come in for supper.

"But…what if he doesn't take the plate?" the knight asked.

"Oh, no problem. See, a good prankster always has a backup or seven," Khimari said, making Oscar's eyes, err…squints go wide.

"You made _how_ many vials again?" Oscar asked, considering the wolf actually trusted the knight enough to give the bare minimum amount of information about his ingredients, which wasn't much in the first place.

"I made thirteen, the one we're using notwithstanding, and I made six different serums for my "jelly legs" prank," he explained, confusing Oscar as he had never seen the wolf pull out anything else, and he was in the kitchen with him for the entire time. Before the knight could even ask how or when he made that many serums in such a little time, Kieran came through the door, putting the plan at a go.

"Kieran! How are you?" Oscar greeted the red-clad knight.

"I am most energized today, rival! Now, I shall indulge in some great food made by my eternal rival after a hard day of training!" he proclaimed, before taking a plate and leaving, much to Oscar's apparent worry.

"He didn't take the right plate…what to do we do know?" he asked.

"Oh, Oscar," Khimari sighed. "He got the right plate, don't ya know?" he informed, making said cook raise his eyebrows. "Like I said earlier, a good prankster has a backup. You had two plates out front, and _both_ of them had the serum in there," he told.

"Wait…" he said, looking to see that the second plate was also gone. "Who took the other plate?"

"Boyd did, about eight seconds after Kieran. Wow, two birds with one stone this time," Khimari mused, before getting a plate himself, one he knew was free of any diarrhea causing substance he made as the knight simply shook his head, and made a mental note to get the bathroom ready…and the cleaning materials. Sitting down next to Mia and Ilyana, the latter of whom was eating like a full-fledged beast Laguz, Khimari started to eat his food in great stride, feeling great about everything he did today.

After finishing his usual amount of plates, which completely paled to the amount Ilyana ate to his curiosity, he decided to go back to his room for a second. Opening the door, he peered in to see Nephenee taking off her helmet for a second and putting it on the bed, before letting all of her hair show itself. The country girl let out a sigh as she went over to her bed to lie down before she saw the wolf standing in the doorway. Snapping up, she quickly put her helmet on in a heartbeat.

"H-hey, Khimari! How y-ya doin'?" she nervously asked, now sitting up in her bed.

"I'm fine, but why'd you put your helmet back on?" he cautiously asked, the girl eliciting a sigh at the question.

"Because…I-I just ain't use d to bein' with all these folk," Nephenee admitted. "Ya know, all the city folk," she explained.

"You think they'll judge you?" Khimari summarized, which was confirmed by the mint-haired girl with a nod. "Hey, they won't. Those are some nice people out there," he tried to reason.

"But…I can't speak well like y'all. It didn't matter in the fields n' all, but here…"

"Hey…" Khimari told, coming closer to Nephenee. "Don't feel bad because you're different. In fact, that's what you want to be. Besides, your accent's pretty cool!" the wolf comforted, giving one of his smiles. Looking at the Laguz, Nephenee couldn't help but adopt a little smirk on her face as well.

"I…I guess you're right. I just can't help but feel that everybody's gonna look at me n' laugh…"

"Hey, people keep to their own, and even when they do talk to you, it's not like they want to do harm to you," Khimari reassured, before an idea came to mind. "Hey, why don't ya tell me how things went back at the farm?" he asked the girl, who gave him a perplexed look at the question.

"Um…m'kay…" Nephenee agreed. "Well, everyday we'd get up n' tend to the fields, hoein' and waterin' and all those good things, and make sure the chickens were all fed and layin' eggs. Right 'bout now, it'd be harvest season, actually," she mentioned.

"Wow…Things must be a rush right now," Khimari imagined, seeing that it was definitely hard work, though the soldier enjoyed the work she did.

"Oh yeah! I can only 'magine Ma screamin' at the boys to do some work right now, but they're only kids, so it's a hassle," she continued, giggling a little bit.

"You have brothers?"

"Yeah, three triplet brothers that'll be six in 'bout two months, and two other younger sisters. I'm the oldest, and I helped Ma out a lot, too."

"Wow, that's amazing," Khimari commented, honestly respecting his roommates more and more.

"Well…what 'bout you? Who's your family?" Nephenee asked.

"Well, they're mostly here, and my dad's the one who led us here. Remember, the one with the blue tail?" he responded, to which she nodded.

"That'd must be Ike and the others, then…"

"Yeah, you're right. Even before this crazy mess, we were in a mercenary company, though Ike and I were just newbies."

"And your Ma too? She was a part of the mercenaries, too?"

"I haven't seen my mom in years, after we got separated," Khimari revealed, making Nephenee's eyes go wide; she wouldn't know how it would feel to go through life without a mother.

"W-what happened?"

"We were…separated by a sandstorm. I got…thrown through the desert, and I never saw her since," he explained, surprised by the sudden influx of memories he'd been getting lately.

"Well…I'm sorry for askin'. I can't think of not havin' Ma…" Nephenee admitted.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. All you were doing was asking a question," Khimari soothed. "Say…You should take your helmet off again," he mentioned, much to Nephenee's horror.

"Wait, what? No, This helmet's stayin' on mah-Ah!" she yelled as Khimari grabbed her helmet and pulled it off before she could take his hands off of it. All at once, her hair freely flowed down her face, and Khimari went from a playful attitude to a stare, before putting her helmet on the bed. "Whacha do that for?!" she yelped, putting her helmet back on, though she couldn't help but smile at the antics he displayed.

"I…wanted to see your cute smile, and your hair. Blue's my favorite color, ya know," Khimari responded, with a smile of his own, sending Nephenee's head into a frenzy.

"Well…thank ya," she thanked, not expecting that answer. Just then, a knock was heard, making Nephenee jump, while Khimari went to the door. Opening the door, it was revealed to be Rolf.

"Hey, Khimari, can I come in?" he asked brightly.

"Well, sure," he agreed, and fully opened the door for the archer to come through. Closing the door behind him, he went over to his bed to sit down.

"Hey, you're Nephenee, right?" Rolf greeted, to which she nodded.

"Hey there," she returned, before the youngest of the brothers turned back to the wolf.

"Can I…ask you a question?"

"Well, you already asked one, but you can ask another," Khimari responded, and Nephenee had to suppress a small snicker when Rolf's eye lightly twitched.

"Okay…So, what should I do?" he asked, making Khimari's head tip over to one side in confusion.

"About…" he pressed, before Rolf sighed.

"It's like…girls are looking different to me, I don't know what I'm feeling and…Khimari?" Rolf stopped, seeing that the Laguz's face was getting a tint of red.

"…Am I the first one you came to about this?" the wolf asked, already knowing what Rolf was talking about before he got into the topic. 'Oh boy, this is gonna be…tough,' he thought.

"No, Ike told me to come to you, and Oscar said the same thing, too," Rolf said, leading Khimari to make a mental note to ask and/or prank Ike and Oscar in the distant future. "Do you know what I'm talking about?" he further questioned, leading the wolf to elicit a sigh.

"Yes, I do…Nephenee, can you leave the room, please?" the Laguz asked the farm girl, who quickly nodded and left the room in a bit of a fast-walk. "Rolf…come sit down," he told the boy, while motioning to his bed. After the archer sat down, Khimari took a deep breath before starting what was definitely the hardest thing he's ever explained.

"Now Rolf…you're at this point in your life where the world starts to change a little bit, and some things are different, like girls for example," he started. "Also, you'll start to grow hair and some…body parts you have will start to get…bigger, and you'll get…urges to do things sometimes…"

"Did it happen to you and Ike, or Oscar too?" Rolf asked, only making this harder for the wolf.

"…It happens to every single boy in the world," the Laguz wisely said, answering the question while avoiding it at the same time. "Rolf…do you know how babies are born?" he then asked, just wanting to have a topic to break the news to Rolf.

"Um…you always told me that it came from a magical bird angel called a stork," Rolf answered, once again making Khimari silently curse.

"Well, that's the toddler version. You see, when a boy and a girl like each other, they…do something called making love." 'Oh Ashera, please save me now,' Khimari inwardly wished.

"What is that?" he innocently asked.

"When two people want to have a baby, they go somewhere alone…and they do what's called making love. After nine months, which is the usual time it takes for a woman to have a baby, said baby is born. Did you…understand?" He know he didn't do any details, but that was for the

"Umm…yes, I did," Rolf nodded, feeling uncomfortable himself now, especially after the information he received. "How…do you get over it?"

"Over time, you learn to get used to it, and you can control yourself whenever you get a feeling like that," Khimari replied, feeling easier know that the hard part was out of the way.

"Okay…Thanks, Khimari!" Rolf said, happy that all of his questions were answered. Getting up, Rolf went over to the door and opened it, before Khimari quickly stopped the archer.

"Hey, Rolf!"

"Yes?"

"When you see Ike, can you kick him in that place I told you about?" the wolf deviously asked.

"Sure!" the oblivious boy agreed, before closing the door. The second the click was heard, Khimari fell onto his bed, completely motionless for what seemed like an eternity. 'Oh my gosh…that was crazy…' After a while, he decided that he needed some fresh air, and left his room on a quick journey to the deck, as well as a search for a certain green-haired knight. He did not have to search long as he found Oscar in his room along with Boyd.

"Hey, Oscar? Can you join me and Ike tomorrow in training?" he asked the oldest brother, already knowing of their punishment and how to execute it.

"It's no problem, but may I ask what I would be needed for?"

"Well, we're going to work on how to fight against the weapon triangle, so you wouldn't have that disadvantage to such a degree that you have to strain yourself more than necessary," he explained, and technically, it was true.

"Oh, that will work. Ike did ask me to help with him anyway," the knight mentioned. With that done, his next objective was to make sure that someone would be there to heal the two after the beating they were promised to receive; Oscar not as much so as Ike, because the knight was much too nice to do like that. Maybe a few scratches would convince him, but the mercenary commander was much more stubborn than him. Knowing that Rhys had a case of seasickness from yesterday where Mist had to help him, he would most likely be confined to his room, so that's where he went.

Knocking on the door, he patiently waited until he heard a voice say "come in." Opening the door, he looked to see Rhys and Zihark in the room, the former laying in bed while the latter was polishing his sword. "Hey, Rhys, are you all right? I heard you got seasick…"

"I was a little shaken at first, but overall I'm fine," he responded.

"I just wanted to ask you if you'd be well enough to come to training tomorrow. We'll need your healing, along with Mist, if you don't mind," Khimari gently asked.

"Well, I don't see why not…I can make it," Rhys confirmed.

"Okay, but if you don't feel well, make sure you stay in bed," Khimari lightly advised, before leaving the room, before going to the deck, knowing Mist would probably be there. He wasn't daunted when he saw that the cleric wasn't there, but in fact just looked at the wide open sea around the ship. The rolling blue waves crashing against each other in a smooth current certainly gave him a sense of peace he couldn't explain. The drowning sun only added to the amazing scenery, giving an almost otherworldly sight that just couldn't be explained.

"Do you like the view?" a voice asked, walking up to Khimari until she was standing right next to him.

"Yeah, don't you like it too, Mist? I mean, just the ocean itself seems amazing…and it makes me wonder if we're the only ones still here."

"What do you mean? Do you think…there are other places with people in the world?" she asked.

"I honestly do…but where in the world would we even start? The world is huge, we can already tell, and even if the rest of the world is nothing but water, at least we would know…" he said, his eyes closed as he shared his thoughts about the world.

"I guess…it's interesting to think about what's on the other side of all that water…" Mist murmured, before turning to the wolf. "Oh, I heard you've been recruiting some people for Ike's training tomorrow," she mentioned, changed the subject.

"Yeah…you wouldn't mind coming, would you? I know it's early and all, and you need to get your sl-"

"Khimari, I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself, and I'm going to be there," she lightly reprimanded.

"…I guess it's just an instinct," he responded, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Besides, big girls don't need fluffy pillows anymore, so…"

"What? I didn't say that!" Mist quickly denied, knowing that she loved his soft belly the most.

"Well, you did say you're not a little girl, and big girls don't need their brothers to transform into a wolf and sleep with them under their head like a teddy bear, do they?" Khimari asked in fake wonder.

"H-hey, that's so-"

"Perfectly fair tradeoff if you ask me. Adulthood for pillow, makes a lot of sense to me," he shrugged, before Mist playfully tried to shove the wolf, to no avail as he didn't move at all. Huffing loudly, Mist just turned around and crossed her arms while she pouted.

"Stupid big brothers, won't even budge an inch…" she muttered quietly, making Khimari smile even wider at the girl. Just then, the sun started to fall even deeper into the endless waters, and the darkness of night started to swallow the orange sky.

"Well, come on in, before you end up with a cold," Khimari said, making Mist roll her eyes again.

"I'm not a k-"

"Yeah, yeah, you've only said it a hundred times," the wolf interrupted, waving her off as he went down into the ship's halls.

"Wha-Hey, don't blow me off! Ooh, you're gonna get it!" Mist yelled, running after her big brother only to find that he already disappeared. Quietly raging, the cleric huffed once again before deciding to go back to her room for the night. Little did she know, the wolf simply hid in one of the other hallways until she gave up and left. Whistling to himself, he followed the brown-haired girl's example, going back to his room to get ready for tomorrow.

Pain was coming, and he would enjoy every second of it.

XXXXX

Once again, Ike was wet head to toe as he finished doing the routine he did yesterday, and this time he found that the wolf's training methods were yielding some results. He was able to keep the Laguz at bay for seven laps this time when he was in his Beorc form, and he found that he was getting faster as well. "Ike, go get a sword from your room, a real one, and meet me where we were yesterday," said Laguz directed Ike, who nodded before going down to his room. Quickly getting his sword, he went straight to the training room Nasir said they could use.

When he arrived, he was a little surprised to Oscar there with his lance, as well as Mist and Rhys sitting on the bench as well. "Today," the Laguz started, "You're going to learn how to fight against those you have a disadvantage with, hence Oscar." Ike nodded, understanding the reason the knight was here. "So tell me, what are the disadvantages of a lance?"

"Well…they have to be controlled from a long distance, so it's easy to stretch too far?" Ike noted, somewhat not believing in his answer until he saw the faintest smile on Khimari's face.

"Good…What else?" he pried.

"…Hmm…." Ike pondered, until another idea came to his head. "The only point is on the end, and the rest is just wood, right? So…they're vulnerable against side attacks," he elaborated.

"Well, maybe you are smarter than we give you credit for," Khimari jibed, much to Ike's annoyance. "Jokes aside, see if you can put what you know to the test," he continued, stepping back as he gave a nod to Oscar. Readying himself, both he and the knight got in position for a little brawl. "Ready…set…go!"

Fighting against someone when you have a weapon disadvantage was very hard, Ike quickly learned, as Oscar was not giving him any leeway in this spar. Every time he tried to get close, the oldest brother managed to keep him at bay despite his efforts to utilize the weaknesses of the weapon he described earlier. Dodging another poke of Oscar's spear, Ike decided to try something out that he saw Khimari do one time in a spar against Titania.

After dodging the first poke, Ike prepared himself for the second one, which came very quickly. Grabbing the spear as it came closer to him, he put a solid foot on the weapon in order to ground the lance, and keeping its pointy tip from doing any harm. Before the knight could do anything else, Ike quickly jumped off the lance, closing the distance and giving a quick swipe of his sword, slightly cutting Oscar's arm.

"That's enough," Khimari interjected, seeing that blood is kept to a minimum…for now. "Take a little break before we do our last part for today," he told his brother and the knight, which caused some suspicious looks from the swordsman as Mist and Rhys patched the two up.

"So, this is what you two do?" Oscar asked. "I must say, I've nearly never seen Khimari so…serious. With training, I mean…"

"Me neither, but usually this is where we end. I can't help but feel a pit in my stomach, like something bad is going to happen," the swordsman returned. Oscar raised an eyebrow at that comment, but did not respond to it. About a minute later, Khimari deemed it time to return to training. Within some seconds, the two were armed once again with their respective weapon in hand.

"So…what are we doing now?" Ike questioned.

"I'll tell you in a second, but first: I have a question," the wolf said. "Did you both send Rolf to me to explain…I think you know…" The looks on their faces gave everything away, and the verdict was obvious; guilty as charged. "Well, then, I'm not going to feel bad about this next part, then," he mused, to the confusion and skepticism of the two.

"The next exercise? What is it?" Ike asked, and his dark feeling he felt earlier was intensified at seeing the creepy and somewhat sinister look that appeared on the Laguz's face.

"The next phase of training is survival…I think that explains itself," he revealed, transforming into his wolf form as Ike started to raise his sword.

"Oscar?" Ike called, getting the knight's attention.

"Yes?" he answered, raising his lance as well.

"It was an honor to get to fight beside you," he responded, as the wolf readied himself and jumped.

XXXXX

"Ow! Would you stop that!?" Ike yelled, after Mist pushed his stomach yet again.

"Stop being a baby! I have to check for anything broken," she chastised, before prodding at her brother's stomach yet again. This was the scene Titania and Soren walked into when she entered the room, after finishing a talk about battle plans.

"…Let me guess: You did something to Khimari and received harsh retribution," Soren stated matter-of-factly, before going over to his bed. The pained grunt that came from Ike only served to be a yes to that statement.

"Wow…Khimari sure has things happening today…" Titania noted, bringing the curiosity of the two siblings in the room.

"Oh, goodness, what did he do now?" Ike asked, before wincing again as Mist started to poke his arm, before putting her staff next to it.

"Apparently, in addition to you, Kieran and Boyd became victims of a certain prank I'm sure you remember…After all, you were in the bathroom the whole day," Titania explained, making Ike's face go red as everyone started laughing. Even Soren did a little snicker, before going back to his current book and stoic expression.

"May Ashera have mercy on their souls," Mist prayed, while laughing in between words as she healed what was the last of Ike's wounds. "Now, you're all patched up, but next time, try not to get beat up so bad," she reprimanded.

"Against the one who could beat everyone here up?" Ike dryly asked, though Mist was not deterred.

"Yes," she replied. All the mercenary commander did was give his little sister a dirty look as he put his shirt back on. "Anyways, did you all get to see Sothe yet? He was a stowaway that Nasir found a little while ago, while you guys were busy training with Khimari."

"Speaking of Khimari, what happened to him? I haven't seen him since the morning, and I couldn't find him after your…training session," Titania said.

"Oh, he's with Lethe and Mordecai. When I asked, Lethe said that it was "Laguz business," Mist answered, making everyone wonder what it could be.

"Oh well, I wonder what they could be talking about," Titania voiced.

"Probably something that we shouldn't be prying or noses in. If Khimari wants to tell us afterward, he'll tell us," Ike said. The others agreed with their leader's conclusion of the situation, and they all went to doing whatever they would do for the day.

XXXXX

 _Two weeks later…_

Nephenee was walking the ship, looking for the bathroom, as she lost where it was a good minute ago. It was nearly impossible to keep track of where to go on this giant ship, much less getting to the right place. Going around another corner, she looked to see the blue tiger Laguz…Mordecai, or something like that, talking with Khimari. It would be rude to intrude on their conversation, and she wasn't sure if the Laguz was nice or not, but she figured that she'd have nothing to lose.

"Umm…" she quietly started, not sure how to start it off. "Hey, do ya know-nah, that wouldn't work. Can ya help me find the-no…" Nephenee mumbled, so into wondering how she was going to approach the two Laguz that she didn't realize that they were already staring at her.

"Uhh…Nephenee?" Khimari asked, snapping the country girl out of her stupor. "Do you need help with something?"

"Uh…yeah! Do ya know where the bathroom is? I've been lookin' on this big 'ol ship for ages, and I couldn't find the daggone thing!" she said, before realizing that there was someone other than Khimari there, and instantly calmed down, changing her expression to a more quiet one.

"Well, from where we are now, just go down that hallway and it'll be on your left!" Khimari directed, pointing at said hallway while giving Nephenee a smile. Feeling a little warm in the forehead, Nephenee nodded. "T-thank ya," she said before going down to the girl's bathroom.

When the wolf was out of sight, she let out a big breath of relief. She didn't know why, but ever since that incident two weeks ago when he pulled her helmet off, she's had a different feeling around the Laguz. It was like, she'd be so open, laughing and smiling all the way, going around like a little kid who just got a piece of candy from their mama, without a care in the world.

She simply sighed as she thought about Khimari, and the more she tried not to think about him, it just comes right back in her head a little later the second she got bored about something, or finished thinking about something, or even just out of the blue. It was a crazy thing, but she was stuck in a mud pit, that's for sure.

'Hm…Do I…have a crush on him?' she asked herself, before she was banished out of her thoughts by a voice.

"Hey, Nephenee! Suit up, I hear we got some pirates on the way!" Brom told her, before going in the direction of the deck. Quickly following suit, she went to the armory room, and took out a lance before following Brom to the deck. As the ceiling gave way to the sky, she looked around in the ocean to see that there were no ships or anything in sight. Then where were the pirates?

That question was quickly answered as a shriek echoed through the air, prompting Nephenee to look up and see some giant birds! Before she could do anymore, a huge rocking happened on the boat, nearly knocking the girl off her feet.

"Did we…hit something?" the woman with the red hair, Titania she thinks, asked everyone.

"Our ship's run aground! We may have hit a reef or something!" the captain called out.

"Ike, the crows are coming closer!" the mage called, before the shriek got louder, and the crows were nearly on top of them. Readying her lance, she prepared herself for the airborne pirates while everyone else started to take their own positions.

"Some of you, go down below deck and protect Queen Elincia and the rest of the crew!" Ike ordered, and she saw a few go down as he said, while the majority stayed on the deck. The big birds started to descend, and the fight then began. Everyone started to try and take some cover as the ravens dive-bombed the ship, using their beaks and talons to attack. Soon enough, Nephenee found herself going toe to toe with one, and it was definitely not in her favor.

The raven was free to attack her from the sky, while she was grounded, and couldn't do anything until the raven attacked her. All she could do was defend, and it wasn't working out to well judging by the scratches on her arm and the small dent in her helmet.

The raven once again prepared to swoop down and prepared to attack Nephenee, when out of nowhere a strong wind came and attacked the bird. It was taken by surprise and got a direct hit, making him come out of the sky and giving her the chance to deal the final blow. Not missing a beat, Nephenee ran up to the raven rammed her lance through it like a turkey on Feast Day. Taking out her lance, she couldn't believe it when the raven started to transform, taking on a Beorc shape until it was just a person with wings.

So these giant birds…were actually Laguz! This was no time to be amazed though, because it was the middle of the battle. Looking around to see where she could help out, she saw Brom and Ike having trouble against a particularly bigger raven, who also looked blue compared to the other black ones. Quickly acting, she rushed in to help them out, managing to land a hit on the bird's wing.

Staggering back into the sky, the raven seemed like he was having trouble flying, as he was wavering in air. Glaring at Nephenee, it made a shriek at her. "Die, you human!" he hissed, diving at Nephenee with the intent to kill. Preparing herself, she was ready to take this overgrown chicken down, and the second he was within reach, she struck.

It was avoided by the bird Laguz who quickly used his wings to get some more space between them, making her attack hit nothing but the air. Taking his chance before she could defend, the lead raven attacked with his talons at Nephenee, and deeply scratched her stomach before ascending back into the sky. She groaned in pain as she grabbed her wound, and decided to take a step back and let the others finish this.

The bird was quickly dealt with after she left the battle, being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people against it, it was grounded by one of Rolf's arrows before the orange cat Laguz took him down permanently.

"Everyone, get away, we're finished!" a crow shrieked, and the few remaining crows followed the one who said that away from the ship, until they were just black specks in the sky before they completely disappeared.

"Is anyone hurt?" she heard the healer, Rhys, ask. Looking in the priest's direction, she was the first one that he saw, and he went over to her with his blue staff. Closing his eyes, he put the orb of his staff towards her stomach, and the wound closed itself, the only hint that it ever happened being her torn shirt.

"How's the princess?" she heard Ike question somebody. Looking over, she saw it to be Khimari and Kieran. The knight in the red armor moved to say something, but was quickly hushed by the wolf giving him a look of extreme annoyance.

"She's fine. Nothing happened to her. How's everything up here?" he asked, before the captain came into the conversation.

"We're stuck in a reef, and we're completely immobilized. We simply can't shake free," he relayed. "We're trying, but it's definitely going to take a while," he said.

"Well, I feel really useless just standing around here. There has to be something I can do to help," he declared, before he went off the ship, much to Khimari's apparent worry.

"Ike, why are you leaving the ship?" the Laguz asked, much to Ike's confusion.

"Nothing's getting done just staying on the ship. I'm going on land to see what I can see," the mercenary explained.

"Ike, you must've hit your head too many times!" Khimari insulted. "Don't you know we're in-" the wolf was interrupted by the arrival of three people, all of them coming over to the ship.

"You there!" the one in front asked. "What are you doing?" he demanded to know as he came up directly in front of Ike.

"Well, we're screwed," Khimari muttered under his breath.

"This is Goldoan territory. Outsiders are not permitted," he stated, looking at Ike and Khimari specifically, considering they were the ones actually on land.

"Hold on, there's a misunderstanding here," Khimari told him, trying to pacify the situation. "Our ship hit a reef, and now we can't do anything because we're stuck," he explained.

"Then go back to your ship. What happens to Beorc or other Laguz is not our problem," the lead soldier commanded in a monotone voice.

"That's just being ridiculous!" Ike shouted at the soldier, before being hit by Khimari. _Hard_.

"Do you know that we're talking to _DRAGONS_ , idiot!? Are you _TRYING_ to get us killed!?" he yelled at Ike, who simply looked at his brother, dumbfounded.

"You have been warned once. You will not be warned again," the Goldoan reiterated, before the three transformed into dragons, all of them at least going nine feet tall or even higher. Seeing no way out of this, Khimari started to begin his transformation, before another voice convinced him to stay in his Beorc form.

"What do you think you're doing? Cease this at once!" a boy shouted, and the Goldoan soldiers heeded his words, reverting back to their Beorc forms, and bowing as the boy came over to them.

"My lord prince…" the lead soldier murmured, turning some more gears in Khimari's head. This kid was the prince? He found it better not to do anything he might regret, so he stayed silent as the prince signaled for the three to rise, before turning to him and Khimari.

"Man of the Beorc, and warrior of the beast Laguz, my countrymen have been…discourteous. Please forgive them," he said.

"Who…are you?" Khimari asked, careful not to have anything hostile in his tone.

"I am Kurthnaga, prince of Goldoa," he formally introduced.

'The prince? Now we're getting somewhere,' Ike thought. "Because of Kilvas pirates, our ship has run aground. Can you help us?" he asked the prince. To the worry of the two, the prince gave a blank look at the question.

"Are you alright, prince?" Khimari asked, tilting his head curiously. Kurthnaga then snapped out of his stupor, and looked at the wolf.

"I was not used to being addressed in such a…direct manner. I was taken off guard. Please, forgive me," he replied.

"No, I should be the one apologizing," Ike reflected. "My father did have a great deal to say about my lack of manners. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," he apologized, though Kurthnaga simply waved it off.

"Please, pay it no mind. I am more concerned with the misfortune your journey has met. The Kilvas ravens have been getting even more barbaric as of late, and this will not stand. I assure you that my father will construct a formal protest with Kilvas. At the moment, we shall help you free your ship," the prince informed, before turning to the dragon next to him. "Gareth, please direct the others to pull their ship free."

"At once!" Gareth obeyed, before nodding to the three others. They transformed, and the three red dragons transformed once again and went down to the ship's bottom, before pulling it out of the reef. Everyone could only stare in amazement at the dragons as they did as what the prince wanted.

"Amazing…" Khimari murmured, and the others could not help but agree with the wolf.

"Goldoa's the land of the dragons, and are specifically known for their longevity," Titania said. "In fact, there are tales of Goldoans still living from when the goddess herself walked the lands," she explained, to which the wolf nodded.

"Aye, the king is just about nine hundred years old, if I remember right," he added.

"How do you know all of this?" Ike questioned.

"Books," Titania answered. "Goldoa no longer has contact with the outside world. Seeing them now is like a fantasy, a dream come true…"

"So this is good fortune?"

"Yes we're lucky! Your stupidity and impatience got us _OUT_ of trouble for once!" Khimari explained, much to the Beorc's ire.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he scoffed.

"Um…" the prince started, getting the attention of the two bickering brothers. "Your ship has safely been moved without damage to the vessel. My subjects did tell me your ship was lodged against a reef, though no structural damage was sustained. You need not to interrupt your journey," he informed.

"That's good news. Thank you," Ike said graciously.

"Is there any more necessities that you may need? We can replenish your supplies if you are low on food, or fresh water," the prince offered.

"That would be most appreciated. We are in need of water, and as for food…fruit, meat, anything fresh would be wonderful."

"It shall be done. Gareth, can you see to it?" Kurthnaga asked his aide.

"Yes, at once," he responded, before leaving along with the soldiers.

"I know Goldoa doesn't trade with other nations, but will you take gold as payment?" Ike asked the prince, who shook his head.

"Do not worry about any payment."

"You've done a lot to help us when you could have just left us to die. We have to repay you somehow…"

"Sweet courtesy is ever the herald of hospitality. Will that suffice as an explanation for my actions?"

"But…hospitality is for guests, and we are just those who got attacked by overgrown featherheads," Khimari mentioned. Kurthnaga couldn't help but give a small smirk, before continuing.

"Goldoa prefers isolation, as you know. We rarely see any foreigners, Beorc especially, and even rarer is the occasion we communicate with them. Chance has brought us together, and I am grateful for this opportunity. To be honest, I do wish that we could feast and converse for a while, but my father would never allow it," the prince sighed. Just then, Gareth and the other dragons arrived with the supplies and started loading them onto the ship.

"But a gift so generous can't be expected to just be given without-"

"But I do," he interjected. "Take it as a personal gift from Goldoa's prince. Though…if I have made you uncomfortable, as it seemed, if you wish to decline…" the prince purposely didn't finish to enhance the effect of his implication.

"No, of course not," Ike said. "We will be happy to accept your gift. We appreciate your kindness."

"I'm so pleased you understand," Kurthnaga said, giving a tricky smile, much like Khimari would when forcing someone to stay in bed when they get sick.

"Ike!" Titania called. "Captain Nasir wants to depart as soon as possible!" she relayed, before going back to the ship.

"I see you must be on your way," the dragon prince noted. "May I ask for your names?"

"I am Ike," the mercenary answered.

"And my name's Khimari," the Laguz answered, and Kurthnaga then gave a small look at him.

"The wolves may have moved to a place unknown, but their prince still lives," he remarked, much to the surprise of the two.

"How did you…"

"The shape of your tail gives you away as a wolf, and it is tradition to hand down Laguz Gems to the heirs of the king or queen, as one is on your neck," the prince explained, pulling out his very own for a second.

"Well then, I think it is a time for us to go," Ike reminded. "I beg your leave, Prince Kurthnaga, and I won't forget this kindness."

"It was my pleasure. Take care," Kurthnaga returned. With that, Ike and Khimari boarded the ship, and they set sail back on their course towards Begnion once again.

"Farewell! May your journey be safe!" the prince said to them as he waved his goodbye. The two waved back as the ship crossed the waters away from the land of the dragons.

XXXXX

A/N: Okay, it wasn't 15K words, but it's still big, so I got no complaints (See Volke, it's not always about money.) Well, I know I updated this on the day after the 6 month anniversary of Blue Wolf, and I feel like just being happy a story of mine lasted this long with such positivity. It's not even a chore to do, it's a hobby that I want to do, so it's fun writing all this ridiculously long stuff…

Oh, and another thing, updates will probably be slow after this one, because I will be going to TRAVEL! I'm going to visit my aunt, and I'm going to be there for at least two weeks, last time I checked. So, unless I decide to bring my computer there, please don't be worried by no updates! And with that, this chapter is completely wrapped up! See y'all later!

Blizzard, the Wolf that is awesome!


	12. Prince,Princess,and Empress

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Welcome to the twelfth chapter of Blue Wolf! As usual, please enjoy, make sure you favorite it 'cause it's your favorite, and I'll see y'all at the end of the chapter! On with the story!

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done_

"Farewell! May your journey be safe!" the prince of Goldoa, Kurthnaga wished to them, waving goodbye as the ship set sail once again to the theocracy of Begnion. Ike and Khimari waved back to him, grateful about what he did to make sure that they would have a good trip, and for getting them out of quite the funk with the ship getting stuck in the reef and everything. As the lands of Goldoa faded out of sight, Ike turned to Khimari with an eyebrow raised, and the wolf already knew what was soon to come.

"The prince lives on, eh?" he quoted from the dragon, causing said wolf prince to sigh and hang his head back for a second, before refocusing his eyes on his surrogate brother.

"Try to get comfy, because this is going to be one heck of some explanation," Khimari said, and Ike mentally prepared himself for what was coming next as the wolf began his answer. "Back in Gallia, I told you that the wolves left months before I was born, right?" he asked, eliciting a nod from the other blue-head. "See, the thing about that is, mom and Ranulf were mates, and they had a time to…relieve stress before they were forced apart. My mom, being the wolf queen, was forced to separate and leave Dad back in Gallia in order to guide her people to a new land, which eventually came to be Hatari. When mom and the wolves left, she might not have even been pregnant for a month," the prince said.

"Wow, and the other news?" Ike queried.

"…Maybe we should make sure we aren't heard for this particular news. Is anyone in your room?" Khimari mentioned, greatly confusing the swordsman.

"No…everyone's in the mess hall right now," he answered, and the two then departed to the commander's room for an important talk. Khimari opened the door, and left it open for Ike who closed it behind him, making sure that no one was eavesdropping on the two, not that anyone would do it. "Now, what's so important that you have to talk to me alone and behind closed doors?"

"Mist's medallion," Khimari told him, leading Ike's face to adopt a look of confusion.

"That old thing? What does it have to do with anything?" he asked, oblivious to the legend surrounding the object.

"Didn't you ever wonder why Commander Greil never let anyone touch it?" the Laguz asked, leading Ike to wonder.

"Yeah…It was something that he never talked about, and he would always slap my hand away the second I even tried to touch it. To be honest, I thought it was just Mist being petty, but apparently it means something more, considering you have to be alone to tell me," Ike noted, leading Khimari to nod before heading over to Mist's things and carefully took out the piece of cloth that covered the medallion. "What…are you doing?" he asked cautiously, seeing as Khimari seemed to be entranced by the medallion.

"See Ike, King Caineghis told me all about it. If anyone without a certain balance of peace and order touches it, they get driven insane by chaos, and a shroud of blue light surrounds them," the wolf explained, while unwrapping the medallion, revealing the old bronze object.

"Wait, then why are-" Ike started to raise his voice, getting worried if Khimari touched the medallion and went on a rampage like he had told the swordsman. Khimari was easily one of, if not the strongest person on the ship to his knowledge, and him losing control would just about spell the end for everyone. Quickly getting up, Ike tried to get Khimari's hand away from the medallion, only to be in vain as the Laguz already touched. The Beorc looked on in wonder as Khimari was engulfed in the aforementioned light, slowly taking form of the wolf.

"Don't worry about me, I'm not going insane anytime soon," he reassured with a smile, standing up as the aura got darker. "This…happened to me when I fought the Black Knight…When I was with Dad in Gallia," he added, getting Ike's attention even more.

"What? But you told me that-"

"I never finished the story," Khimari interjected. "See, after the Black Knight was standing over me, a rush of memories flew through my head, one by one until I got a picture of a girl crying…That was when the light burst out of me and I got up to fight the knight again," the wolf continued, making Ike's eyes go wide. "Don't worry, I never went insane; I just felt like…someone was right next to me. I was stronger, I faster, I could think clearer, it's like…I got a blessing."

"A blessing?" Ike echoed, not sure where this is going.

"Yes, it's the only thing that could explain me being able to pierce the knight's armor…" Khimari murmured, his mind going back to the moment when he came back from near death to fight the knight.

"What! You hurt him!?" Ike shouted, nearly grabbing Khimari's shoulders before reminding himself that he probably shouldn't touch him, just to minimize the chances of him being overcome with chaos and madness. "How?" he asked, calming himself down to a more reasonable level.

"He didn't tell you? Only weapons that are blessed by the goddess Ashera can pierce his armor, like the golden sword he used against me, for example," Khimari mentioned, making Ike's eyes go wide. Going over to his own things, he shuffled through a few things, before pulling out a golden sword, so clean that Khimari could see his own reflection as Ike showed the sword to him.

"That's the sword…" Khimari muttered, to Ike's bewilderment. "Where…How'd you get it?"

"The night father was murdered, the Black Knight threw this sword at him, and told him to use it. He refused, and he died. The knight never did come back to get the sword, so I just took it," he explained, getting a nod from the Laguz.

"Hm…" Khimari hummed as he thought, closing his eyes to wonder about the new revelations. If Ike had a weapon that could damage the Black Knight, he would have to learn how to use it, and he would have to be great at it. "Bring that sword for training. I think you'll end up using that sword for a long time," he predicted.

"Okay, I will," Ike agreed, before something else crossed his mind. "So…now we're in the presence of the royalty of two kingdoms, I can only wonder what's going to happen next," Ike mused as the wolf put the medallion back where Mist had it, the blue glow flowing away from Khimari as he closed the drawer before giving the Beorc a dirty look.

"You know I hate being fussed over, and that's all they do with princes and princesses and all that crap. I can help people and beat down others all by myself, without some annoying creep-o with a big moustache and a cape," Khimari said. "Besides, I'd hate to be in some stuffy castle for all of my life, no battles, no adventure, not even a chance to hunt…" he listed as he shuddered at the thought of a life like that.

"Ok, we see you don't like it, now keep quiet before Princess Elincia starts doubting herself," Ike joked. "You aren't going to be in some castle being bored with stuffy old nobles…Lord Khimari," he ended, preparing himself as Khimari's eye started to twitch.

"You'd better be glad we have to keep vigilance at all times after that raven attack, or else you would be next on my prank list…" Khimari threatened. "Speaking of pranks, I haven't done one in a while," he noted, much to Ike's concern.

"And you won't," Ike finished. "The bathroom still needs to finished getting cleaned after that last…prank," he said, trying not to shudder at the prison sword prank being brought back to life.

"Aww, why not?" Khimari pouted, much like a little kid would. "It's not my fault Kieran ended up pooping on the floor. He should have ran faster," he commented, making Ike sigh in exasperation.

"Dirty bathrooms and knights with diarrhea aside," Ike said, eliciting a laugh from Khimari. "How many people know about you being a prince? Everyone, not just the ones on the ship," the Beorc questioned, leading the wolf to put a finger to the side of his head.

"Let's see…" he muttered. "Obviously, there's you and me, then Lethe and Mordecai know…Umm, I'm pretty sure King Gallia knows, and Dad is the one who told me…Besides that, and it's somewhat possible that Soren, Nasir and/or Nephenee knows," Khimari mentioned, making Ike raise an eyebrow at the last name.

"Soren is a possibility, considering that he reads a lot and would know about that, and Nasir is a Laguz as well, so he may know, but Nephenee?" the Beorc questioned.

"Well, we were hanging out one time, and it slipped out during a conversation with Mordecai that I had. Nephenee was right there, because she needed directions to go to the bathroom, but I'm not sure if she was listening to us or not," the Laguz elaborated, making more sense to Ike, though he couldn't help but be suspicious about the girl that they rescued from Canteus Castle.

"Speaking of Nephenee…Is she the reason that you've been disappearing as of late, or just hanging out with her a lot more than the others?" Ike asked, and if Khimari was nervous or surprised at the accusation, he didn't show it.

"What do you mean?" Khimari returned, carefully guarding the tone in his voice to avoid saying what he felt.

"I mean, you two have gotten along very well, more so than nearly everyone else in the company, and you're always together, not to mention she openly talks to you, something she only does with Brom and sometimes Mia," Ike listed, giving Khimari a chance to capitalize on his mistake.

"Well, we're all roommates, so it makes perfect sense," he defended, using Ike's list of names against him.

"Even then, you're the only one who can convince her to take her helmet off around the ship, something no one has been able to do to this day on this ship, or even came close to, and Mist tried to sneak it off," Ike told, finally getting a reaction out of the wolf, though it wasn't exactly what he thought it would be.

"Mist, sneaking around?" Khimari snorted. "I'm so proud…I knew I taught her well," the Laguz commented, giving himself a mental pat on the back as Ike's patience grew thin at Khimari so easily avoiding his hints at him liking Nephenee. He still had to admit though, the wolf was amazing at avoiding the matter of things, and he was running out of material to use.

"Say…you two have been alone a lot, still. Is there really something we don't know about, or do you two just look at stars on the deck for nothing?" he asked, and saw for a split second some surprise in the Laguz's eyes, though it disappeared as soon as it came.

"…Why are you stalking me? You know I don't go that way, Ike. Besides, we're technically brothers, so-"

"That's not what I meant!" Ike yelled, getting red in the face and more irritated by the second. The mere thought of what Khimari implied Ike was thinking was wrong in so many ways, and the worst part was that it was a trap he fell for. "Just admit it: you like Nephenee!" he finally came and said, leading Khimari to laugh ridiculously hard for a good minute.

"Oh, wow, that was worth it!" he said, wiping a little tear out his eye. "You just completely lost it; you looked like a maniac!" Laughing hysterically, Khimari nearly fell on the floor before Ike tried to put him in a headlock. That didn't work out so well for the Beorc, because Khimari transformed and the next thing Ike knew, his face was getting licked all over.

"Ugh!" he spluttered, dropping the wolf while trying to get the saliva off his face. "That's just nasty!" he yowled, getting the slobber off his face while Khimari was laughing his off. It didn't take long for the drool to get taken off or dry on Ike's face, though he would definitely wash it off later. "You know that stuff doesn't come off!"

"Hey, you were the one interested in me, and now you have a problem? What happened, I wonder?" Khimari fake asked himself, Ike ready to rush the Laguz again, but thinking better of it after the reminder of his tongue on his face. He just settled for a look of embarrassment, face turning so red, a tomato would blush blue. After another quick laugh at the commander's expense, Khimari decided to simmer down and answer Ike's question. "Okay, that was entertaining, so you earned it," he said, making Ike curious about what he possibly could have earned. "I do…have feelings for Nephenee," he admitted, making Ike's eyes go wide.

"So I was right?" Ike asked, not sure if this was a prank or the real thing.

"Yep, you're right. I just can't help but notice how pretty she is when she smiles, and when her helmet's off and everything. She's just shy and afraid of where she came from and what people will treat her like," Khimari sighed, his expression extremely laid-back, yet uncomfortable, which told Ike that he really did have feelings for the country girl.

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about her not liking you back," Ike commented. "She's basically going red every time she sees you."

"I've noticed," he responded, before suddenly glaring daggers at his surrogate brother, making him freeze at the sight. "If you tell anyone about this…ESPECIALLY Boyd, I will make you wish we were killed by the dragons," Khimari threatened, and Ike, who was scared out of his wits, quickly nodded at a speed so fast he thought his head would fly off. "Good!" the wolf chirped, back to his cheerful attitude just like that, confusing Ike and leading him to wonder if the wolf had some sort of mental disorder, or mood swing issues.

Just then, Ike's stomach took the liberty of growling, reminding the two that they haven't ate anything since the morning, really. "Okay, maybe we should get some food before it's all gone," Ike recommended, before the wolf gave a snort.

"Please, we're half of the reason it's gone," he retorted, and Ike knew that it was true; besides Ilyana who's food intake was something blessed by the gods, Ike, Khimari, and Boyd always ate the most at the table, Khimari eating the most, as well as being the only one justified to do it as being an actual beast Laguz, known for their ravenous appetite. Going out of the room, the two came down to the dinner hall where everyone was chatting or eating; in some cases both. Grabbing their plates, the two went to sit down, right next to the girl who came to them today, as well as Nephenee and Brom.

"Hey there," Brom greeted, as the two dug in with their food. Khimari at least had the decency to stop for a second and give a wave before returning to his food, as Ike simply decided to finish his food first before talking. Seeing the two wolf their food down, the country two couldn't help but smile. One plate became two, two became six, and six became eleven before the two blue-headed boys finally finished eating.

"Hey, Brom," Ike finally replied. "How are you doing after that battle?" he asked, before turning to Nephenee. "And you too, since you got wounded pretty badly by that raven…" he added, making Khimari look at Nephenee with some worry, though he tried his best to conceal it.

"Why, we're right as rain, ain't we Nephenee?" Brom answered, to which the mint-head nodded her agreement.

"Y-yeah…" she quietly said, using the shy mask that so many people have come to know her by.

"Well, as long as you're…you two are alright, that's what matters," Khimari responded, nearly slipping in the middle of his sentence, much to his own ire.

"Thank ya," she replied. "Say…I didn't see ya when we we're fightin' them ravens. Where were ya?" she asked the wolf, a very much noticeable difference in how she spoke, and how much more confident she was.

"I was with Kieran protecting Princess Elincia's cabin," he explained. "Guy drove me nuts and made my ears hurt. I truly feel that Oscar should be a saint for dealing with that every day," the Laguz commented, drawing a snicker out of the three. "Don't get me wrong: he's a great person, but…"

"Just a little bit on the crazy side?" Ike finished, Khimari giving a nod to his interpretation. "Then you two should get along great," he jabbed, much to the wolf's annoyance.

"No, he's _crazy_ , I'm just a fun prankster, there's a difference," he defended.

"No, he's crazy, and you're _insane_ ," Ike retorted. Silence followed his statement, before Khimari gave a big smile at the Beorc.

"Ike, you won!" he congratulated, giving his brother a pat on the back.

"Wow…" Ike said, feeling very accomplished at what he just did. "I did, didn't I?" he asked himself.

"Yep, now let me add that to the scoreboard," he responded, before pulling out a piece of paper and using his claws to make a little mark on Ike's paper. "And done. Here's your score, Ike," Khimari said, showing the three the paper. It took all of Ike's training not to rip the paper into pieces when he saw the score.

 _Khimari: 148  
Ike: 2_

"…" Ike didn't dare say a thing as he just looked at the piece of paper with hate, wishing that it would burst into flames as soon as he laid eyes on it. This garnered a laugh from Brom and Nephenee, as well as a smirk from Khimari.

"Don't worry, you'll get there someday," he encouraged, though it only served to further annoy Ike.

"…I think I'll be going to bed. See you tomorrow," Ike said, before getting up to go to said room. Nearly everyone else was gone, so the three simply decided to converse some more.

"Tell, me, them birds were Laguz, right?" Brom asked, still somewhat confused. "Why are they so different from you, or those other two?"

"Yeah, they were," Khimari nodded. "See, they are just one of the three types. You have beast Laguz, like me, the ravens would fit into the bird Laguz category, and then you have the dragons, which we saw earlier," the wolf explained

"Say, you were mighty snappy at Ike when y'all were talkin' to the dragons," Nephenee noted. "Are they that strong?"

"I wouldn't even try to take on a dragon right now," he answered simply. "Those Laguz mean business, and they won't have a second thought about tearing you a new one if you make them angry enough." While Brom and Nephenee were still processing that information, Khimari turned to the wyvern rider that joined today, who was simply sitting in thought as she finished her meal a while ago. "Umm, excuse me," he called, getting the girl's attention. "You're the new-"

"Don't talk to me, half-breed!" she snapped at him, effectively making him quiet and bringing the attention of the other two to the girl with the pink eyes. "Be glad I don't end you here and now!"

"…Snappy, aren't we?" Khimari joked, before turning slightly more serious. "Look here, you aren't in any position to be threatening someone," he told her calmly, though she wouldn't have it.

"Why not? Killing a demon is a great deed," she replied, oblivious to Khimari's tail fur standing on end, as all of them didn't see it.

"Is it now?" Khimari asked, with mock surprise. "Then do us a favor and kill your king," he scathingly retorted.

"How dare you!" the girl seethed. "King Ashnard is-"

"Mad, controlling, a tyrant-Oh, did you want to add something to the list?" he prompted to the already angry girl, who looked to be at her wit's end.

"You have no right to say such things! You are nothing but a-"

"You might not wanna say that…" Khimari threatened, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. "I like to think of myself as a nice person, but I won't have any regrets about reminding a human where they belong," he hissed, his dual-colored eyes becoming slits as they glared at the wyvern knight with hate, something that is rarely found on his face. Nervous, the girl gulped as the smell of fear started to roll off her in waves, making Khimari scoff. "Now you're scared? Pathetic," he scorned.

"Don't speak to me in such a-"

"I speak to humans however I want to speak to them," he interrupted harshly. "I have no evil feelings towards Beorc, but _no one_ talks to me like some dog, _especially_ some stupid soldier who doesn't have a mind of her own," he said, before forcefully getting up and leaving the mess hall, while the remaining three all sat in silence. After about a minute, Nephenee got up and left as well, prompting Brom to decide to leave as well, but not before giving the young girl a few words.

"Ya know, I don't know much 'bout y'all Daein folk," Brom started, the girl raising her head to stare at the knight, "But I do know that Khimari's a nice young 'un, and it don't matter if he got a tail or not, 'cause in my head, he's still a livin' person," he proclaimed, before leaving the former Daein soldier to her own thoughts.

Meanwhile, Nephenee was heading to the dock, as she had a feeling that Khimari wouldn't just go to the room if he was angry, so he wouldn't take it out on anyone else. Her intuition proved to be right, as she saw him in his Laguz form, laying down and staring at the night sky in silence. Coming over to the wolf, she also sat down. They just sat there in silence, just looking at the moon's glow over the sea as the stars glittered in the sky. "Why…did you come?" Khimari finally asked, breaking the silence between the two.

"'Cause…It ain't like you to do that," she said, making Khimari breath loudly through his nose, though deep down, he knew that the girl was right. He let himself get taken over by hate, and he couldn't get past his distrust of Beorc that originated from the people at Port Toha, and how violently they reacted to a single Laguz who meant no harm.

"You're right…" he admitted, before going back to silence for a moment. "But…sometimes I just can't get past some people who think that my kind…isn't worth anything. At the end of the day, we all bleed, sleep, talk, but they're so stupid that they can't get past a tail?" he scoffed, his neck fur slowly rising until he calmed himself down.

"You're makin' perfect sense," Nephenee agreed. "Sometimes, people need a good spankin' to get their act right. Just keep yer head up, and you'll be fine, n' everyone's opinions'll be nothin' but a bad fish," she wisely said, making Khimari look at her in surprise.

"That was…a good cheer-up speech," he praised. "Where did you come up with that? I might have to use that someday…" he mused, before Nephenee let off a laugh.

"Ya already did…I got that little speech from you, before I took off mah helmet in public for the first time," she revealed, making Khimari's head go back to that moment, and he did remember telling her that.

"Wow…I made that?" he asked himself rhetorically, still actually impressed that he could do something like that.

"You're surprised?" she questioned the wolf.

"A little bit…I just never thought I'd be one who could do things like that," he admitted, giving a laugh at himself while Nephenee started to piece things together.

"Ya know…you should give yourself more credit," she mentioned, gaining a curious look.

"Hmm…" Khimari hummed, the sound coming out as a guttural coo. "You're right again..." he noted. "Hey Nephee…" he called, using a nickname to get the girl's attention. "You know…I…like you," he admitted, glad that his fur couldn't show any blushing. Silence answered his statement, the country girl sitting in silent contemplation at what was said.

"I-I like ya too," she admitted as well, and Khimari released a soft growl of delight. "So…what do couples do?" she asked.

"Don't you move fast?" Khimari joked, snickering at seeing Nephenee blush. "I honestly don't know…How about we just make up our own rules?" he offered, to which Nephenee agreed, before she gave a yawn, reminding her that it was late and she was getting sleepy.

"Are you sleepy? Do you want me to take you to bed?" he asked while he reverted back to his Beorc form, and Nephenee shook her head.

"I feel like stayin' here," she finalized, laying herself down on Khimari's stomach as the newly minted couple stared at the stars in silence, listening to the calm waters of the sea. Khimari didn't know how long the two stayed like that, though he decided to take Nephenee back to her room at the sound of quiet snoring. Carefully getting her stomach off of his head, the wolf picked up the girl bridal style, and went back down below deck to their rooms. On the way there, he was curious about what was happening in the brothers' room, as there was the sound of a pillow hitting someone, but ignored it in favor of taking the country girl back to their room.

Coming to his room, he instantly came upon a problem. The door was closed, and it was impossible to let go of Nephenee to open the door without waking her up. Wondering what he could do, he stood there for a while until he got an idea. Turning around a little bit, Khimari looked at the door handle as he took his tail and wrapped it around. Carefully turning his tail, he saw the handle turn before he heard a click sound! 'Yes!' he mentally cheered as he opened the door with his tail. Turning back around to completely open the door with his foot, he peered in to see that both Brom and Mia were asleep.

Going over to Nephenee's bed quietly, he gently set her down before going back to make sure the door was closed. Now that that was finished, Khimari went to his own bed and laid down as he transformed once again and went into sleep to get as much as he could before training with Ike.

XXXXX

" _Mommy!" Khimari yelled his mother, Nailah, giving her a big hug. He was so excited to see his mother again, and was happy to finally get out of that boring lesson from Kawila._

" _Hey, Khimari," his mother replied. "How was Kawila?" she asked, always ending up in a better mood after hearing her son's daily rant about the teacher._

" _It was so boooring!" he complained. "Who cares about some politics and government rules and stuff!"Nailah couldn't help but laugh at her child's antics. He always was a flighty one, much rather preferring to have an adventure or play with his friends, and she did sympathize with him. However, as good as it was for him to make friends and be a kid, as heir to Hatari, he would have to learn about this sooner or later._

" _Oh, come on, it couldn't be that bad," she soothed, though the child shook his head._

" _Yes it was! It was like watching Novil try to sit down, it's painful and it feels like it takes a million years!" he compared, and Nailah couldn't take it anymore, and she burst out laughing at the insult to the elder. Novil was one of the older wolves, and felt it was upon him to watch everything she did like a hawk, much to her displeasure. They were at odds with each other, but thankfully he knew his place, and did not step too far out of line. After she stopped laughing, Khimari had another question to ask her. "Hey mom, where's Volug?"_

" _Oh, Volug went to run an err- on second thought, here he is now," she responded, seeing the brown wolf come towards them. Khimari turned around to see that he was indeed coming to them, and hugged the queen's vassal as he stopped._

" _Hey Volug!" he greeted, letting go of the wolf. "How are you?"_

" _I'm fine, little one," he said in the ancient language, which was something that Khimari understood, but never could speak, as it wasn't his first language, though he could tell what the words were because of the familiarity, as well as how often it was spoken around him._

" _How'd it go?" Nailah asked the wolf._

" _They said that they wanted to see you as soon as possible," the brown wolf answered, to which Nailah sighed. Why couldn't those old fossils leave her alone for once. It's been at least a week and a half since she got to spend a full day with Khimari, and they had been pestering her non-stop ever since someone found a dragon Laguz offshore, apparently in "close proximity" to Hatari and a "danger" to the people. Even after she checked the situation herself and deemed it safe, those old bags of bones still had the audacity to question her judgment._

" _Mommy, can we play?" Khimari asked his mother, who mentally sighed and cursed those elders for once again preventing her from being with her child._

" _Maybe later, Khimari, mommy has some business to take care of, but maybe Volug would be able to play with you, is that okay?" she carefully worded, as not to cause any scenes. Thankfully, Khimari did not seem to care as he simply jumped in joy before transforming and giving Volug, now untransformed, a touch on his leg with his nose._

" _Tag, you're it!" he yowled, before running in the opposite direction, towards the desert. Transforming, Volug quickly gave chase to the wolf prince, and Nailah was about to go handle her business before she noticed that they were going a little far into the desert. She trusted Volug to keep her son safe as he did before when Khimari strayed into the desert, but for her it was better safe than sorry. Doing her own transformation, the white wolf followed the two in the desert, and was a little surprised that they could barely see the village from where they were when she caught up to them._

" _Khimari, what did I tell you about going too far into the desert? It's dangerous, so don't do that, please," she gently chided, and Khimari was saddened as he put his head down in shame. Khimari was a very…emotional person, as she could put it. He hated to make others sad or upset, and would usually try to keep everyone happy, though when someone was upset or something, he took it pretty hard if it was someone that he had a close relationship with, like his mother, for example. Sighing, she went back into her Beorc form and lifted Khimari's face up with her finger. "Don't worry, I'm not mad; just worried, okay? It's a mother thing," she soothed, and it did wonders as her son instantly perked up to how he was seconds before, brimming with happiness, which put a smile on her face. "Well, I think it's time to-" she started before she stopped herself at the sight of a giant sandstorm nearly right on top of them. "Run!" she yelled, before grabbing Khimari and running as fast as she could, before the power of the winds knocked her off her feet, and her son out of her arms._

 _The wolf tried to get back to his mom, but found himself almost instantly buried out of sand. "KHIMARI!" he could hear his mom shout as he quickly spat sand out of his mouth in order to tell her that he was fine._

" _Momma!" he shouted back, before being dragged away from her mother, her figure disappearing as he was swept away by the storm. He was scared, but couldn't let out another cry for help as the storm overwhelmed him and threw him in the heart of the desert._

Waking up with a quick gasp, Khimari quickly raised his head, only to see that he was back on the ship in his room, and everyone else was still asleep. Quietly sighing, Khimari simply put his head down, before he felt a liquid touch the bottom of his chin. Getting back up, he looked down to see that his paw had blood on it, and was still bleeding. Curious, he unsheathed his claws to see what he thought had happened: he stabbed himself in his sleep. He quickly licked the blood off his claws and chin before reverting back to his Beorc form, and he calmly took off the white ankle wrap he had around his ankle and put it around his left hand, stopping the bleeding. He knew that he may have to go to Rhys later to make sure that it wouldn't get infected, though.

Figuring because he was already awake, he would get ready for the training with Ike this morning, though he did consider giving his brother the day off to sort through his dreams and feelings. 'No, he needs it…I can do for myself later,' he decided, with the thought that it wouldn't be nice to blow off Ike just because of a bad dream…But the problem was that it wasn't a dream, it was a memory of what happened in the past. That's what actually happened to him, he was dragged off from his mom and Volug by a sandstorm, and then…he still didn't know, but I guess meeting Ike that day was what happened next, but there was still a memory block in his way.

Once again, the wolf just sighed as he got out of his bed officially, and carefully left the room as he has been doing for the past two weeks. Walking his way up to the dock, Khimari once again entered his thoughts surrounding his past in Hatari. 'Desert, but if I ended up where Ike was…' he wondered, reflecting back on what happened to him. 'If no one has seen them for seventeen years, then they must be in a desert where no one would even consider going.' Eventually, he settled for doing more research on the deserts of Tellius before he could come to a conclusion about where to start looking for his mother.

The real thing that was going on now was the connection between the sudden memories coming back to him and the fight he had with the Black Knight. Ever since the fight, he's been having dreams about either his past, or the fight of his life where he saw the face of death for the very first time. Reflexively, Khimari started to shiver and rubbed his hands on his arms as he walked up the stairs to the deck, though it wasn't cold at all. In this part of the world, it was tropical, and the temperature was always warm, if not extremely hot.

It then hit him: he wasn't shivering from the temperature, he was shivering from _fear_. He was scared of what happened that night, and now he had actual fear of what could have happened to him if that aura never appeared around him. 'Stop it!' he told himself, giving himself a mental slap to the face. 'Get a hold of yourself, it happened, and now it's gone,' he harshly scolded himself, shaking his head rather violently as he banished the thoughts from his mind. He'd get stronger, and he would never have to worry about the Daein general again. Looking up, he saw that the first rays of light were starting to destroy the darkness of night.

Once more, Khimari sighed at the thoughts raging in his head, and seriously could definitely consider asking for a few days off when they get in Begnion, but quickly scratched that thought out considering they would most likely have their work cut out for them the second they arrive in order to earn favor with the theocracy and the apostle, much to his ire. Before he could continue his mental storm of thoughts, he heard the sound of footsteps, signaling that Ike was coming. Clearing his head, the Laguz turned around to greet his brother. "Good morning," he told the swordsman.

"Good morning," Ike returned, before awaiting what they had planned today. Khimari quickly scrambled his mind for something.

"Do thirty laps, then one hundred push-ups and sit-ups," he directed, making Ike raise an eyebrow. They did do this before now, but not without some kind of trick or twist to it.

"Nothing else? Just directly that?" he asked suspiciously, wondering what Khimari was up to. Little did he know, Khimari was simply irritated, and irritated people don't like to be questioned.

"Since you feel questioning me, you can triple what I already told you," he punished, making Ike's eyes get wide, standing there wondering what warranted such a big add-on. "You heard me, move it!" Khimari hissed, making the commander even more suspicious, but he didn't say anything to the wolf as he started the set given to him. Huffing, once again, he settled to watch the rising sun as Ike did what he was told to do.

Soon enough, Ike was finished with his exercises, and Khimari turned around to see Ike doing the last of his sit-ups, before he stood up and looked at the wolf. "Come on," he said, leading Ike down to the room where the sparred regularly. Seeing Mist and Rhys there, Khimari was surprised, but still pleased all the same. Another notable thing was that Mist was the one to bring the sword, as it was laid down right next to her. "Okay, first things first: give the sword some test swings, and try to get a feel for it," Khimari told Ike, who nodded as he headed over to get the golden sword from Mist. After the sword was in his hand, the first thing he saw was that it was heavy, and would have to get used to carrying it. The next thing Ike did was wave it in the air a few times, before doing a practice swing with it. Though to his surprise, a blue wave came out of the sword, and it was headed straight towards Khimari, whose eyes hardened. As a surprise to all three of the people in the room, Khimari transformed into a Laguz and took the blast head-on, the wave disappearing as he stood his ground , with no damage sustained.

"Are you all right?" Mist worriedly asked, getting her staff ready just in case he was hurt. A nod from the wolf quickly reassured the girl that he was fine.

"How does the sword feel?" he asked Ike, ignoring the fact that his hand wound started to bleed again. He simply put his hand right on his side, hiding the injury from the other three.

"It's heavy…" he first said. "It'll definitely take some getting used to, but for the most part, it feels natural," he observed, looking at the sword up close as he gave his opinion.

"Well, let's test it out. No holding back," Khimari said, before transforming once again to fight Ike. The two went to the opposite sides of the corner, before the wolf decided to give Ike a real life lesson. Jumping at the Beorc, Khimari used all of his power, and Ike was nearly pushed on his back as he blocked the first blow with his sword. Not giving his brother any chance to breathe, Khimari flipped around, scratching Ike's arm with his hind claws, before running behind him to claw his leg. Both strikes rang true, and Ike now had two sets of claw marks on his body.

Hissing in pain, Ike turned around, swinging his sword in a complete circle, producing a wave that gave Khimari no room to dodge. The wolf just simply took the attack head on, like the first time, before rushing him again and biting his left shoulder. Khimari jumped back as Ike was slightly panting, and stumbling a little bit from the blood loss, comparable to someone who had an extra drink they shouldn't have had. "Enough," the wolf determined, Mist and Rhys quickly going into action, healing all of Ike's wounds, before Rhys noticed Khimari's bleeding paw. Going over to the wolf while Mist finished the last of Ike's wounds, he put his staff's end on the Laguz's pad, and the blue gem glowed, healing the wound completely.

With the healing finished, Mist and Rhys went back to the sidelines as the two fighters took a little break, while Khimari was giving his overview on how Ike did. "Well, the only thing I can think of is getting used to the sword and learning how to fight faster opponents, but those are things that come with time and experience," he observed. "So now-"

" _Yun…Dea…Era…Dheg…Sea…"_ a child-like voice croaked in Khimari's head, making him instantly perk his self up, looking around curiously for anything that could be the source of the voice. When he could not find anything, he once again retreated into his thoughts, closing his eyes as he looked through every memory he could think of, only to find nothing.

"Khimari?" Ike asked, snapping the wolf out of his stupor, and turning his attention to him. "What's the matter with you?"

"…Nothing. We're done for the day, and don't come in the morning for the rest of the week." the wolf decided, leaving the three somewhat dumbfounded Beorc alone as the Laguz walked out the room.

XXXXX

Looking out in the ocean, Khimari simply watched the ship sail by the seemingly endless sea, a strong vibrant blue and the ringing sound of the waves bringing comfort to his ears. Ever since he left Ike this morning, he had been exclusively thinking about the words that he heard from that mysterious voice. He couldn't get anything intelligible out of there, but he would have to piece something together. At the moment, he was stuck on the very first phrase, "Yun," which already exhausted his brain.

Eventually abandoning the first thing, he came to the next phrase, which was "Dea." That one was definitely much easier, considering how she said it sounded nearly the same as "death." That revelation instantly put Khimari on edge, considering that word could mean many bad things for the people that the Laguz knew, especially those he had a close relationship with.

He didn't even try to do the third phrase, "Era," because he simply didn't have the background knowledge to try and scrounge something up with the broad topic, which could literally be anything in time.

With that, he moved on to the fourth saying, which was "Dheg." That one was also very confusing, and he also abandoned that one as well, before going to the last one "Sea." That one was specifically weird, considering they were already at sea, but she didn't say it like the word was usually said, which meant it must have been part of a…

'Hold on a second…' Khimari thought to himself as he had a moment. 'Dheg…Sea, Dhegsea? No, Dheginsea!' he realized, pointing that it was the name of the king of dragons, and one of Ashera's three warriors to beat the Dark God…But how would he be tied in to all of this? Maybe…The king was hiding something? But that wouldn't work, because Goldoa is a country of isolation, and it would be hard to hide something if nothing was said in the first place. Though, now that he came upon the name of the ruler of dragon Laguz, he was already partially sold on Goldoa having a big part on whatever the crux of those phrases mean, specifically the king himself.

Suddenly, Khimari felt something touch his back while he was thinking. Quickly acting, he turned around to punch the poor unsuspecting person to the ground, who actually turned out to be Ike, much to his surprise and worry. "Ow…Remind me not to touch you when you're thinking," the blue-head noted, standing up as he held his jaw.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to do that," Khimari apologized, looking back at the waves. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Ike responded, before rounding in on the wolf. "But what about you? Spacing out, being snappier than usual, and calling off training for a whole week? It's so…sudden," he observed.

"What are you talking about?" he returned, pretending to not know what his brother meant.

"Don't give me that crap, you know exactly what I mean," Ike retorted. "You're hiding something, and it's driving you crazy," he said, and Khimari knew it was true, but he didn't want to admit it, even though he would have to sooner or later.

"You're no psychologist," he bit back.

"But I'm your friend and brother," Ike shot. "And trust me when I say something is wrong with-"

"I need answers," the wolf spat out suddenly, much to Ike's confusion. "And after this war, I'm going to find them," he proclaimed, before turning back to Ike. "Thanks for caring and asking me about my well-being, but this problem can only be solved by two people, and I don't know how to get to either of them."

"Then just put it off until the war's over," Ike simply said, which made Khimari mentally slap himself because of how stupid he acted, going over that one thing that would have made everything simpler.

"…Ike, you're the dumbest genius I've ever met," Khimari complimented and insulted at the same time.

"I guess that's the best I'm getting out of you…" Ike muttered, before Khimari adopted that crap-eating grin that everyone has come to know him by.

"You have no idea…"

XXXXX

 _Three weeks later…_

Khimari was currently in one of the hardest things in his life. Everything depended on what Ike had, as it would decide victory or defeat for the prince of wolves. Inwardly, his mind thought of every possible thing that he, Nephenee, or Mist could have to give him the upper hand, and taking a deep breath, he made the final decision that would decide everything…

"Any threes, Mist?" he asked his little sister, who gave a big pout at the question as she gave him the two threes that he needed. Laying down his four threes, he sighed in content as he won the game of "Go Fish," beating the cleric for the most stacks, as neither Ike or Nephenee got any groups of fours.

"Y'all two got some crazy luck goin' on…" Nephenee said, seeing as Khimari got seven groups of four cards, while as crazy as it may seem, Mist ended up getting ALL of the other six. Ike only nodded his head, clearly in agreement with Khimari's girlfriend about the two's ridiculous lucky streak.

"Well, maybe we're just that awesome," the wolf said, giving a grin at the sets on the table, and high-fiving Mist, who sat on the left side of him. Ike and Nephenee simply rolled their eyes as the wolf started to shuffle the deck once again. "So, any other games you wanna play?" he asked, as he finished the shuffling.

"Well, maybe we can-" Ike started, before stopping as Princess Elincia walked over to the group of four, along with Nasir and Soren.

"Ike, there's someone here claiming to be an envoy from the theocracy of Begnion. She's been asking if the princess of Crimea was aboard…" he informed the commander. Getting up from the table, Ike went straight into business mode.

"A Begnion envoy? How did they know about this ship?" Ike questioned, and Nasir put his hand to his chin in thought.

"Possibly, they may have received a message from King Gallia…" he suggested, before shaking his head negatively, trashing that idea. Gallia and Begnion still weren't on the best terms. "On the other hand, we are speaking about Begnion, of all places. I would imagine that they have spies on every corner of the continent. It's highly probable that's her source of information," the captain deduced.

"So it's not worth being surprised to see that she knows of Princess Elincia," Ike drew out, to which Soren agreed.

"You are right, though I find it strange that Begnion would send an envoy to meet a princess that they don't even acknowledge," the mage added, beclouding the mercenary commander.

"What do you mean?"

"You see, the envoy is essentially an extension of the empress herself. Remember that both Crimea and Daein were once apart of Begnion, and only have recently splintered away from the theocracy. I cannot fathom why the empress would extend the courtesy of an envoy to a nation considered beneath her," he elaborated, before giving his own personal thought of the situation. "I say she's definitely planning something."

"Beneath her?" Nasir repeated. "Wouldn't you say that's a little harsh?"

"Harsh, possibly, but still true nonetheless. Clothing something in sweet words will not conceal it's bitterness, would it not?" he scoffed.

"Soren, the truth will sometimes always be ugly, but there's no usefulness in making it even more ugly," Khimari lightly chided the mage, who simply looked away from the wolf and back at Ike.

"I will try…to be more diplomatic," he told the wolf, and the wolf settled for a mental sigh, figuring that was as far as he'd get.

"There is no need to scold Soren for anything. His words are exactly that: words. They do me no harm or discomfort," Elincia eased, though Nasir still wasn't entirely sold on him getting off scot-free.

"That is good to hear, princess, but it would be good if he minded his manners."

"Deciding what to do about this envoy is a more pressing issue right now," Ike redirected, bringing the attention of the two off of Soren. "Elincia, will you meet her and hear her out?" he asked the Crimean princess, knowing that as their employer, the final decision lies with her.

"I believe I must," she nodded. "We gain nothing by refusing to see her." With the queen's decision, the others went with the princess, all except Nephenee who didn't feel comfortable in the presence of all these people.

"It's fine," Khimari soothed the girl. "I'll just come see you later, okay?" As she nodded, Khimari went with the group to see this envoy of Begnion. As they saw the dock, they saw Titania with what everyone assumed was the envoy: a Pegasus knight with black armor and brown hair over her white outfit all complete with a purple cape and purple eyes. Nearly instantly from the moment they appeared, the Begnion knight set her eyes on the princess.

"Princess Elincia of Crimea, I would presume…" she guessed, though it was already given away from the princess's style of dress, as it was extremely stand-offish compared to the rest.

"Yes," said princess curtly said. The knight did a little bow for her, before she started talking to Elincia.

"It is an honor to meet you. My name is Tanith, and I am the deputy commanding officer of Begnion's holy guard," she formally introduced.

"I must ask, what would Begnion want of me that she would send the holy guard out to meet me?" Elincia questioned, cutting to the thick of the situation immediately.

"The apostle has heard of you, Princess Elincia, and has taken the liberty of coming here to meet you personally," she revealed, everyone's eyes opening wide at the news that one of the most powerful figures in Beorc culture were here. "The duty falls upon me to take you to her now."

"The apostle? I am to meet-Surely she has something better to do than…" she tried to desist, though the holy guard member did not pay any heed to her words.

"Will you accompany me?" she asked, seemingly ignorant to her words. Seeing no way to refuse, Elincia reluctantly decided to agree.

"I suppose…that I-"

"We are the princess's escorts, and we will be coming with her," Ike interjected, putting the green-haired girl's insecurities to rest. "I do hope you understand." Fortunately, Tanith did seem to understand how important it is.

"Of course," she agreed.

"Then yes, I will go with you." With that said, Elincia was about to join the holy guard member on her Pegasus, until another knight came over to the ship, in a somewhat frantic manner.

"Bad news, ma'am. We've sighted Laguz near the apostle's position. Birdmen: crows, most likely," she relayed to the deputy officer.

"Hmph! We've seen them before! Pirates without a ship, they like to fancy themselves, but it's just another word for thief. Well, Commander Sigrun is with the apostle, and it will take more than a few winged scavengers to get past her. Simply remain calm," she decided, and the holy guard member suddenly got even more meek, and somewhat scared.

"I…Actually, I'm afraid we don't exactly know where the apostle is…" she timidly said, only awaiting for the following explosion to come out of Tanith, which came right on time.

"What!? They've kidnapped the apostle!?" she yelled, intimidating the poor Pegasus knight even more.

No, no!" she quickly replied, to save herself from Tanith's wrath. "From what Commander Sigrun said, the apostle grew impatient and had one of her…more willful moments. I did ask around at the docks, and sure enough, the longshoremen heard her order the ship to set sail without us."

"What? And where were her attendants!? What is she doing without her guard? Why can't she ever stay put? I've told her time and time again that the seaports are rampant with pirates and crow thugs!" she not so silently ranted, before calming herself down as she continued her talk with the knight. "Where is she now?"

"The wind is poor today, so I presume she isn't too far away from us," she answered.

"Understood, we'll move immediately." With that, the holy guard member left on her Pegasus on the search for the apostle.

"Is there something wrong?" Princess Elincia queried, seeing the events that just transpired. Tanith bowed lightly in apology before explaining herself.

"Your Highness, I must apologize, but an urgent matter has risen, and I must attend to it immediately. I will return to you later. Please await my return!" she said, before taking off on her own Pegasus along with the rest of the envoy.

"What was that all about?" Ike questioned, clueless about what the two were talking about.

"Apparently, the apostle went missing after having a "willful moment," Khimari explained, using air quotes for the last part. "Not to mention, it seems that there are crows closing in on their location, and attacking the ship of said missing empress." Everyone's eyes went extremely wide at the information, and found it a bit hard to swallow. However, they trusted Khimari's ears and put that information in their heads.

"Isn't that the ship the apostle's on?" Mist asked, pointing at a ship not too far away that the Pegasus knight's were flying to. Going to the edge of the ship, Khimari's ears perked up, and he tried hard to get any feasible sounds out of there. After a second, he heard the faint sound of a raven's caw, and that was all he needed.

"Yep, that's definitely their ship," he confirmed. "They're slowly being overpowered by the ravens."

"Why don't we give them a hand?" Soren suggested, causing everyone to look at him with varying levels of surprise.

"Soren…Did I accidently prank you earlier?" Khimari asked, knowing that he did have a prank that involved honey and truth serum…but that was besides the point.

"It's a great opportunity to put the empress herself in debt to us. We'd be fools to pass that up, wouldn't we?" he explained, the others taking a sigh of relief as they realized the calculative mage they knew was still in there.

"I should have known you'd have an angle…What do you want to do, Titania?" Ike asked his deputy commander.

"While I can't exactly say that I agree with Soren's motives, I can agree with us lending a helping hand," she stated.

"Then that's what we'll do," Ike finalized, before turning to Elincia. "Will you be alright alone, princess?"

"You're doing the right thing, and I wouldn't dream of stopping you," she admitted. "Those pirates are no match for you all. Go and give them…give them a sound beating!" she declared, sounding an awful lot like one of the Mercenaries, and Ike clearly picked up on that.

"Huh, you're starting to sound like us," he commented, before turning to the others. "All right then, we'd better go!"

XXXXX

This was definitely a most trying day, Naesala would say. From what he knows, which would be quite a bit, there are now Crimeans coming to the aid of the "unknown" ship, which in actuality was the ship of Begnion, and now he was going to visit the Daein commander with whom he was communicating. "Tell me, walker, are my soldiers proving useful?" he asked the Beorc, the archer turning his head to see the king of the ravens in all his glory.

"K-King Kilvas!" he said, in a not-so-happy tone, leading the raven to raise an eyebrow.

"What? Are you not happy to see me?" he asked in mock sadness. The commander simply scoffed at the question.

"Look at this mess! I paid you good money to help me outmaneuver everyone else and catch princess Crimea's ship first. Everything seemed to be going exactly as planned, then this squad started attacking us out of nowhere! We've waved no flags and removed our crests! They should have no knowledge of us! Why are they attacking?" he ranted, much to the Laguz king's amusement and annoyance.

"Didn't you know? That's a Begnion ship you're attacking," he said off-handedly, making his eyes go wide.

"That's a Begnion ship?" he echoed before his expression turned to one of anger. "It was your featherbrained lackey who told us that Princess Crimea was aboard that vessel!"

"Call it a miscommunication… Every once in a while, those unfortunate misunderstandings seem to happen," he calmly said, ignoring the miniature tantrum the Daein general was throwing.

"You deceitful…King Kilvas!" he yelled out in hatred. "I wouldn't be surprised if you planned all this from the start, you treacherous-" he accused before he stopped himself before he said something to anger the Laguz. He may have been snaky at best, but he still could kill every single one of them if in the mood.

"Such unkind words!" he said in fake hurt. "You wound me. I would never intentionally lie to you, and as proof I bring you better news," he said, gaining the archer's interest once more. "I have it on unshakeable authority that the ship that just sailed up alongside Begnion's carries the Crimean princess."

"Oh…But if we cannot break through the Begnion ranks, then there's nothing we could do…"

"Would you care for some assistance?" Naesala asked.

"And how much would it cost me this time?" he scoffed, earning a smirk from the raven.

"You learn quickly, my friend. Let's see…you'd be receiving my own royal assistance, so that would be double…on second thought, triple rates," he proposed, making the Daein's eyes go wide.

"Ludicrous!" he shouted, knowing that his starting rates were high enough, not to mention THREE times that size? Daein would be stepping on bankruptcy! "Where would I get all that gold?" The raven in response, gave a thoughtful look of thought before an idea quickly came to his head.

"Well, I could defer the payment until later, if that works for you," he negotiated, making the archer raise an eyebrow in interest. "Though…" he continued, "That does bring up the question of interest, of course."

"Leave my sight!" he told the raven, on his last nerve with that money hungry schemer. "I wouldn't seek your aid if the world were burning down from around me!"

"Very well, we've no more to discuss," Naesala said, shrugging his shoulders in indifference. "Call me if you change your mind…I'll be on a nice perch enjoying the show," he still offered, leaving the scene as the battle started to unfold. It was fairly interesting, seeing the humans fighting over seemingly nothing.

What truly piqued his interest, however, was one of the Wolf tribe on the ship. Whether he was one of those slaves of Begnion that some still had, or not, it was interesting to see that some of them still live. It wasn't like it didn't matter anyway, as the wolves and ravens were far to cunning to be in the presence of each other in the past, and he himself can attest to those sneaky furballs being as secretive as they come. The only ones that they actually talked to were other beasts, so it wasn't that much of a big deal.

Besides that, watching these fools fight each other was quickly boring him, the sound of clanging steel starting to annoy him. "These humans take things far too seriously…It's like being obstinate is a way of life for them. Their foolish pride gets in their way, and what does it get them? A swift and merciless death," he told himself. "Now, this show is getting redundant and boring."

"Nestling! I can see you're up to no good again!" another raven said, an old man coming right next to the king.

"Stop calling me "Nestling," he sighed once again, though he knew that would never happen with this old crow. "How many times must I tell you that, Nealuchi?"

"Nestling, you will always be Nestling to me. You can tell me to stop as many times as you would like, but I can't stop. You may even be king now, but I still remember you as the little nestling with the eggshell stuck in your tail feathers!" he reminisced, making said "nestling" roll his eyes.

"Senile old fool," he murmured under his breath, "Forget it," he said, before moving towards some more of his subjects. "You there!" he shouted towards one of his soldiers, who instantly turned toward him.

"Yes, sir!"

"We should take advantage of the confusion of battle to help ourselves to the cargo. These foolish humans only seem to be interested in fighting each other, and don't even spare a single thought about their treasure. If they don't care enough to leave it unguarded, I would think it's fair to say they've lost their claim to it."

"Right you are, sir!" his soldier agreed, before heading into the fray with the intent to steal treasure. Naesala looked along to see what treasure was left, and was not the most pleased to see that there were two thieves stealing it along with that blue wolf from earlier, picking a lock with his claw, much to the crow's interest. Another secret of the wolves, he presumed.

Looking back at the battle for a moment, he could see that that Daein was on the losing side, their ship slowly being taken over by the combination of Begnion and Crimean forces. He could already see the Daein general engaged in battle with some knight in blue armor as well as a Gallian tiger, blue as well. It only took a matter of moments before the archer ended up dead, his body hitting the wood of the ship.

"Hm…I saw this coming, of course," he muttered to himself. "If they just paid me more, maybe I'd be willing to help," he said, before shrugging nonchalantly. "Oh well. What do some human lives mean to us? They're none of our concern…" he said, before turning to the remaining ravens. "We're done here, let's go."

"Yes, sir!" they saluted, before the Kilvans left the scene.

XXXXX

'Looks like it's over,' Khimari thought as he came over to the mercenaries, doing a little head count to make sure everyone was accounted for. The battle wasn't exactly that exciting, just some little scuffle at the most. The only thing he was interested in was some scroll he found in one of the treasure chests, as well as a bow he planned to give to Rolf as soon as he could find him. Everything overall turned out to be good. The pirates were driven out, the ravens left, and the apostle is sa-

"What do you mean the apostle is missing!?" Tanith's voice shouted, making Khimari sigh, before quietly bounding over to watch the scene unfold. "Ugh…This business is becoming quite a headache…" she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I-I'm sorry! I'll offer my life for repentance, for-"

"Oh, shut it. If you want repentance, do something useful and find the apostle," she retorted harshly.

"Yes ma'am!" the soldier saluted, before going off to search. Seeing that fiasco, Khimari came up to the holy guard.

"Do you need help?" he asked her, surprising her with the growl that came out, before realizing it was nothing to worry about.

"You're that mercenary…" she noted.

"My men guarded the cabin entrance," Ike interjected. "As far as I know, it was kept safe from the enemy…"

"From my soldiers' point of view, she sneaked out in the middle of the chaos…" Tanith revealed, as Khimari went over to her Pegasus and started sniffing it, much to its displeasure.

"On her own? Why would the apostle do something as thoughtless as that?" Ike asked, lacking any sort of tact whatsoever.

"Ike! Watch your words. You're being rude," Titania chastised.

"It's all right, dame knight," Tanith waved off. "There are more important matters on my mind. I hate to ask, but would I be able to enlist your help in finding the apos-" She was interrupted as her Pegasus gave a neigh as Khimari started sniffing a bag. "What are you doing?" she asked cautiously.

"Did this bag belong to the apostle?" Khimari asked, ignoring her question.

"Yes, it does…" she answered, thinking that she had a clue about what the Laguz was doing. Sniffing the bag a little more, the wolf got away from the Pegasus before putting his nose in the air for a second, looking for a scent. It didn't take long before he got one, going in the direction of their own ship. Following the scent, Khimari ended up going back to their ship, leaving the others there.

"It looks like Khimari has a scent…She'll be found soon, it's hard to fool his nose," Ike told the Begnion knight.

"Thank you for helping. I give my appreciation for your help, but I will still check the enemy ship to be sure," she said, to which the others nodded.

Khimari was following the scent, and it led to a few barrels, where it got extremely stronger. Looking around the barrels, he saw a little girl hiding behind them, who gasped at the sight of the wolf and scooted back a little.

"Don't worry, I don't bite," he joked. "Are you all right?" he asked, reverting back to his Beorc form.

"I-I'm fine," she said, standing up, rather shakily he might add. "W-Who might you be?" she asked him.

"I'm Khimari. I'm with the mercenaries escorting Princess Elincia," he replied, and the girl looked on in surprise, coming closer to Khimari. It was then he noticed she was extremely shorter than he thought she would be, as she only came up to his chest, and he had to look down to see her.

"The Crimean princess? Ouch!" she shouted, grabbing her foot. Crouching down, he went to take a closer look at it, and saw that it was a little bruised.

"What's wrong with your foot?" he asked, going down to touch it lightly, and saw that nothing was broken before the kid yanked it away from him.

"You have no right to approach-Hey, what are you doing? Put me down this instant!" she ordered Khimari to do as he picked her up and was now carrying the purple haired girl piggyback style.

"Hey, you shouldn't yell so much. It's rather unbefitting of an empress," Khimari lightly told her, who was surprised that he had the knowledge of her occupation.

"For a Laguz, you have appropriate manners…Hmph, I will allow you to carry me for now, it is rather comfortable," she said somewhat snobbishly, though the wolf only gave a smile as he carried her over to Ike and Soren, who looked at the Laguz with a weird expression as he stopped.

"You found…a little girl?" Ike asked, much to Sanaki's displeasure.

"She hurt her foot earlier when she was hiding. Is Mist anywhere over here?" he replied.

"May I inquire what you are doing?" the "little girl" questioned Ike, as Soren walked over.

"I'm supposed to be looking for some apostle person, but since Khimari found you injured, we can make sure you're taken care of first. There are others looking for her anyway," the mercenary commander shrugged, and Khimari gave a little snort as Sanaki gave a little grunt, in a way of laughter.

"…I…see…"

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing…" she waved off, though she couldn't resist a little giggle at the clueless mercenary. Just then, Titania and Mist walked over to check on how the search was going.

"Did you have any luck in finding the apostle?" Mist asked, and before Khimari could respond, Ike shook his head a negative.

"No, but Khimari found a little girl. The child of a noble of some sort, I believe," Soren deduced, as Khimari found Sanaki stamping her foot down in a little bout of anger, but her foot ended up kicking his tail, and it hurt.

"That's my tail you're kicking. A word of advice for you, any attack on a Laguz's tail is taken personally," the wolf quietly warned, not truly angry at the girl, but definitely irritated.

"Oh, is that so? I shall watch my foot from now on, then," she remarked just as quietly, and while it was without apology, the wolf decided it to be good enough for a person like her, and it did sound somewhat sincere.

"Is she hurt?" Mist asked, coming over with a heal staff.

"Yeah, she hurt her foot," Khimari said, before Ike just had to add something else insulting.

"Please, check her head, too. She's been acting funny ever since Khimari brought her over here."

"That's enough!" she yowled, hurting Khimari's ears greatly, making him shake his head in little pain as the empress silently took note of that and lowered her voice. "I have not said anything, believing your antics simply on account of your arrogance, but I will no longer tolerate your belligerence!"

"What's wrong?" Ike asked, oblivious to the situation, just as usual. "It's your foot, right?"

"Prepare yourselves, peasants!" she said, to everyone except Khimari's confusion, as he sighed at what was going to happen.

"Prepare for what?" Ike asked, making the wolf roll his eyes yet again at his brother's stupidity.

"Guys, this is-"

"You stand in the presence of Sanaki, the empress of Begnion! I am the apostle, and the voice of the goddess!" she proclaimed, attracting a response from everyone at the scene.

"Did she just say…" Ike trailed, as the others all took on looks of disbelief.

"Is she really…"

"No, she can't be…"

"No way…"

"Don't tell me you're all as clueless as Ike…That's not a good thing to be that clueless," Khimari told everyone, though it seems his words went through one ear and out the other.

"There must be a reason for her to fabricate something like this…" Soren commented, which only served to make Sanaki even angrier.

"Y-You, ignorant-"

"Hey, calm down, would ya?" the wolf told the empress. "They're just having a hard time swallowing a pill like this. You are only ten, ya know…" he explained, and she did calm down, though she would not let their impudence go unseen.

"Empress! Are you all right?" a voice called out, and everyone looked over to see a mint-haired knight with white armor coming over. Instantly, she knelt down before the apostle, who was still on Khimari's back as Mist healed her foot. "My apologies! We were unable to reach you, and we left you in terrible peril. I accept full responsibility."

"You're late, Sigrun! What would you have done had something happened to me!" she reprimanded, making Sigrun look even guiltier than she already did.

"Please, Empress I beg your forgiveness," she pleaded.

"That won't be necessary…" Sanaki amended. "I am also partially to blame," she added. "Instead, let's focus on our rescuers. As a reward for my safe rescue, I would like to invite them over to visit our court. And please be sure that the one they serve, she who claims to be princess of Crimea, is invited as well," she said, before looking down at Khimari. "Well, why are you standing here? Take me to my quarters!"

"Isn't your foot healed? You don't need me to carry you anymore, right?" Khimari asked, carefully wording his question. In response, the empress simply hummed in thought for a second.

"Well, my foot may be healed, but I would presume it imperative not to overexert myself, so I am telling you to carry to my room where I may get adequate rest," she said, expertly dodging getting off the wolf's back. Everyone there couldn't help but look at Khimari with looks of either laughter or sympathy, or in some cases, both.

"What did I get myself into?" the wolf asked out loud as he carried the demanding apostle to her room, and his eyes started to twitch uncontrollably when he heard the sound of laughter from the decks.

XXXXX

A/N: And that's all folk! Happy July to you all, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter! Remember to fave, follow, and review, and I'll see you all when the day gets brand-new! (I don't rap for a reason)


	13. Meh, Nobles

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Hey y'all, and welcome back to Blue Wolf! Here's the next thing there, so get your reading glasses ready! Oh, and I forgot, since I can't PM guests, I'll just have to put my responses in the Author's notes. So, here ya go! I hope you enjoy, and on with the story!

Special announcement: WOOHHOOOO! THIS STORY JUST HIT 100,000 WORDS!...I don't care too much about views, but it's over a thousand, so thanks guys!

Guest#1:That's an interesting theory you got there…but I kinda didn't understand the first lines of what the heck you meant… :P (Ch.1)

Guest#2: This isn't a self-insert, but thank you for taking the time out of your _really_ busy schedule to comment on _my_ ol' story! :) (Ch.1)

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done_

 _The next day…_

Khimari was currently staring outside of the window at the Mainal Cathedral, the home of the empress, and currently where they were staying until the talk with the empress about Princess Elincia, and whether or not Begnion would help them or not. Truthfully, he honestly had no thoughts or worries about whatever Sanaki would say come the morning, but it shouldn't be anything too heinous, only a country's future against an enemy nation with the intent of complete control…Nothing to worry about at all. Sighing, he simply looked out at the setting moon like he usually did, unable to fall asleep or even get drowsy for some reason or another. The first rays of light started to come through as he stared at the sky.

'Hey, that cloud looks interesting…' he distracted himself, trying to take his thoughts away from all the serious stuff and just relax for even a minute. He found it to no avail, however, as he kept returning to all the topics that he wanted to avoid, giving yet another sigh. 'I need to stop sighing before I end up being like Shinon, all pessimistic and complaining about everything…I wonder where he went. Hopefully to Daein where I can rip him to shreds…' he thought, a small, vicious smile appearing on his face as he thought of giving the sniper whatever torture he could think about, which was a lot.

Just then, a sound of creaking dragged the wolf's attention to Ike, who was his only roommate right now, rising from his sleep. He quietly walked away from the window towards his own bed as his brother rose from his slumber slowly. Jumping on there, he quickly tried to pretend that he was still asleep and avoid yet another questionnaire from Ike about what his problem was. It wasn't like he didn't appreciate the commander's attempts at getting him to talk, it was just that he felt that he wasn't ready to reveal anything to anyone.

Slowly, Ike rose up, sluggishly as usual and wiped his eyes out with his hands, before stretching for a second as he got out of bed. Khimari just closed his eyes and gave a quiet sigh, feigning sleep in order to throw the mercenary off his tail for now. It seemed for a second that Ike bought it, ignoring Khimari in favor of getting ready for the audience with the apostle. After a while, he just got a little tired of doing this and decided to "wake up." Letting out a small yawn, Khimari shook his whole body, getting up and jumping off the bed before doing a stretch of his own, before turning to Ike. "Morning."

Not awake enough to reply, Ike simply nodded as he continued to get prepared for the day. Not having much else to do, he was about to return to the window to look at the sky before a knock came from the door. Seeing as he was the closest one, Khimari sighed once again before reverting to his Beorc form as he answered the door, opening it to see the Holy Guard member from yesterday. Tanith, he thinks her name was. "The apostle will be seeing you in one hour. I shall return to bring you to the main hall when it is time," she informed the Laguz, before leaving as quick as she left. Closing the door, he looked back to see Ike with a look of confusion on his face.

"We have one hour," he quickly summed up, leading Ike to nod once again as he tied his headband on, now ready to go, for the most part.

"Okay," he said, talking for the first time since he woke up. He then strapped his sword to his waist, before he was officially considered "up." "Let's go check on the princess, and make sure she's ready," he said, and the two left out, only to find that they had no idea where the princess's room was in the giant temple, only knowing that it was on the same hallway as everyone else.

"How about on second thought, we wait until the thingy happens, when we'll know where the princess is," Khimari suggested, and Ike grunted in annoyance, though he did agree. "So…How's Begnion?" he asked, trying to pass time with some conversation as the two sat back down on their beds.

"Confusing." That blunt answer was the absolute truth for both of the brothers. "Weird traditions and all this formal stuff doesn't work for me. I'm so glad I'm not royalty," he continued, accidently sending a light jab at Khimari, who just judged it as Ike being up too early. "What did you think of the empress?" he returned.

"Bossy," he immediately said, considering she ordered him around yesterday back on the boat, coming up with all sorts of excuses. "Can you believe she made me tell her a story? She said it was "imperative that she learn about all things possible to help everyone I can," he imitated, making Ike smirk a little bit at the childish imitation Khimari did of the child. "But besides that, she's fine, I guess…After you get past that tongue of hers, she's actually a pretty nice person," he finished.

"Really? So, what do you think she's going to do?"

"Knowing how everyone of nobility acts around here, probably help Princess Elincia, but not without some sort of game or test first," he analyzed. "Remember; she's just a kid, Ike, so try not to get too angry with her if she does anything like that. Last thing we need is everyone being executed because your horrible manners offended someone."

"What are you talking about?" he responded, denying the truth and honestly feeling offended.

"I don't know, maybe I'm talking about you nearly getting us killed, and then again when you nearly got us killed, and-oh I remember now, you nearly getting us killed in the future!" he snorted, getting slightly louder with each phrase, before quieting down as not to attract anyone.

"Hey…in the future? That's a little unfair, don't ya think?"

"Given how you are, it's perfectly justifiable," he bit back, rolling his eyes in disbelief that Ike would even try to defend that. Though this time, Ike would win this one.

"And what about you? With your horrible tempers and whatnot, I'm surprised you haven't blown up at anything just yet," he rebutted, much to the wolf's wonder.

"Oh really? And when has my so called "horrible temper" ever shown?"

"Hmm…I don't know, maybe when Boyd cut your tail with that knife?"

"Hey, you don't touch a Laguz's tail unless you want to get hurt!" he said. "He deserved what was coming to him."

"…You broke his arms and a leg, not to mention he had a concussion and a fear of black pigs that is still here today," the commander deadpanned, making Khimari actually think about what happened. It was one of Boyd's more…stupid moments, and he tried to slightly cut Khimari's tail in order to get revenge for a prank. The bad part was, he did it in the middle of the night, after one of the few times Greil knocked him unconscious, and when he woke up, there was nothing in the wolf's vision but blood.

"Okay…maybe I went a little overboard…" he admitted. "That's just a grudge I'm gonna hold for a very long time. Boyd's still a great friend, though, when he's not...something."

"That's an understatement…You went a little overboard? Where is that temper of yours, anyway?" Ike prodded. "Ever since then, you've never been truly mad at anything, and the last time was back in Crimea months ago."

"Hm…I guess I'm just not angry," he decided, a snort resonating from the dark-blue haired mercenary. "Nowadays, it's more irritation than real anger, so it's not like I'm going to snap at any one of you all unless my irritation goes rabid or something like that," he informed his brother, who really only paid attention to the last part.

"Unless?"

"Yes, unless. I'm still a person, ya know. It may take a while, but I'm _going_ to get mad, just like everyone else," he said, and to Ike it made perfect sense.

"True enough. So, back to this apostle girl…What do you think she'll do?" he questioned once again, the two going back to seeing what to prepare for.

"Like I said before, mind games, and a true test for the princess," he reiterated. "Most likely, her lineage will be challenged, because there are none of any notable nobility that can vouch for her, and we're mercenaries…" he trailed off, though Ike got an idea.

"Hey, are there any limits on who can come?" he asked, making Khimari curious about where he was going with this.

"I mean, not everyone of course, but I would think maybe two or three people, Princess Elincia included," he deduced.

"I found our voucher," Ike confirmed, confusing the wolf greatly until it snapped together in his head.

"Ike, I already know what you're thinking, and it won't wo-"

"Yes it will! You're a prince! That's got to be worth something!" Ike interjected, making Khimari sigh and pinch his nose in frustration.

"What's that going to do? Remember, my tribe hasn't been seen by anyone for nearly twenty years. My claim to being of royalty is just as good as Elincia's right now," he defended, and he did make a good point. "Without anyone trustworthy to the empress to vouch for me, or any keepsake that's only given to heirs…On second thought, that may work," he suddenly switched, beclouding Ike until Khimari pointed to the necklace on his neck. "My Laguz Gem…" he pointed out, giving Ike a new rekindling to the candle of hope that this strategy may work.

"Of course…Well, that settles that," he confirmed, letting out a sigh of content. "Now that we have our plans mapped out, maybe-" He was interrupted by another knock on the door. Seeing as it has been quite a while, both Khimari and Ike went to the door this time, and like before Tanith was the one who had answered the door.

"Are you ready to meet the empress?" she questioned the two, who nodded in confirmation.

"What of Princess Elincia?" Khimari curtly asked, as the two left their temporary room.

"She is already in the hall with the empress." After that, the trip to the cathedral hall was silent, no one saying a thing as they trekked to the apostle of Begnion. It was suddenly a place fit for a leader like the empress, the white halls adorned with grand windows and works of art all along the halls, chandeliers hanging on the ceilings of the apostle's home. It was certainly something to behold, though no wasn't the time to be admiring work on a castle. An entire country's future lied in the balance of this upcoming conversation, and Khimari could only pray that it didn't go south.

Soon enough, they had made it to the hall where Elincia and the empress, Sanaki, was in, and there were guards there. At the sight of Tanith, the two soldiers guarding the entrance raised their spears, standing at attention as the three went through, though they both gave a suspicious glance at Khimari, who simply ignored the two Beorc guards as not to cause any drama.

The main hall of the apostle's castle was definitely one fit for royalty. In the room itself, the apostle sat on her throne, while some other people, some fat man with no hair on his head at all the first one Khimari noticed. Those were the empress' advisers, he assumed, and Princess Elincia was sitting in a chair, awaiting the two in order to begin the meeting. As soon as they entered, Tanith took to Sanaki's side, standing right next to Sigrun. Elincia also stood next to Ike and Khimari as the meeting commenced.

"Ahem…" the apostle started, clearing her throat before saying anything else. "Now, you have proclaimed yourself to be the orphan of Crimea's King Ramon. Princess Ridell Crimea, correct?" she started, and Elincia nodded her confirmation.

"Yes."

"I have heard stories of King Crimea having a daughter in secret. My men have reported much of the topic to me in the past. However, whether or not you are that princess is simply another tale," she revealed, leaning closer in her chair. "Do you have anything that would lend credence to your claim?"

"I have…nothing at all," Elincia admitted, looking down slightly. "It took all of my energy to elude being captured by Daein. I had no time to secure any proof to my claim." At that revelation, Sanaki sighed somewhat dramatically, putting her fist on the side of her head as her elbow sat on the arm of her chair.

"Hmph…That is certainly most suspicious. And with Crown Prince Renning dead as well, there is no one who knows your face. What am I to do?"

"We vouch for her," Ike suddenly blurted, his face hard as steel as he spoke to the Begnion empress, who raised an eyebrow in curiosity at the declaration.

"Oh really? And tell me, what gives you strength of this conviction? If we chose to believe this girl's story, this woman would not have had any contact with the outside world since her day of birth. So how is it that you, a lowly mercenary of all things, dare to assert her authenticity?" she interrogated, narrowing her eyes as she leaned her head closer to Ike, before Khimari himself stepped forward.

"As we speak, the Daein army have plans to give pursuit to her and specifically her and capture Princess Elincia. At every moment, they have demanded nothing but her capture and her turning over to the Daein king. Is there any more proof that you require?" At the wolf's observation, the apostle raised her eyebrow once again.

"Hm…" she hummed, closing her eyes for a second before returning her gaze to the blue-haired Laguz. "If you were someone of…proper standing, then I would accept it as irrefutable proof. However," she started once again, "you're simply a commoner, and a Laguz at that. You've nothing to prove you have anything of importance to lend you credence to the claim you two have made. Neither of you have any sort of lineage to anyone of importance, and I've seen the poor before. For a price, they'll support any lie, no matter how extreme," she judged, before Khimari gave a mental smirk; she fell right into their trap.

"Actually, empress, if I may amend your comment," he spoke up once again, piquing the girl's interest. "I would like to present to you the knowledge that I am in fact the prince of the nearly forgotten wolf tribe," he revealed, making one of the apostle's advisers jump out as nearly everyone's eyes went wide at the statement.

"Imposturous!" he yelled. "Nearly all trace of the wolves have been exterminated nearly eighteen years ago, and now all that remains of the tribe are simple thieves and bandits with nothing to show for themselves," he shouted before turning to the apostle. "He is but a farce!"

"Lekain, calm yourself, and sit down," Sanaki commanded, and said advisor grumbled quietly as he took his seat and calmed himself, as commanded by his superior. With that little episode out of the way, the empress turned back to Khimari, a clear look of interest in her eyes. "And you, who also claims to be this wolf prince. As my senator has said, the wolves have not been seen for nearly two decades, and right now, it would be nearly impossible to procure any sort of proof to your cause, leaving you just as suspected as the girl right next to you. So, that being said: What do you have to show your lineage as prince of the wolves?" she inquired, and Khimari was prepared.

Stepping up, he reached for the back of his neck, and took off his Laguz Gem, before showing it to Sanaki's face. "Here is my Laguz Gem as proof. It was given to me by my mother, the queen of the wolves. In case you don't have knowledge of its purpose, it is an heirloom to pass throughout Laguz heirs who are next in the line of the throne," he informed, slightly jabbing at the empress. Making an intrigued face, Sanaki rose from her throne, and calmly walked over to the wolf, and carefully observed his gem, looking it over for a moment before returning back to her throne, where she would give her verdict.

"Your claim does have some validity, as seen by that gem. I can feel the energy flowing within it, and I can tell it is very precious," she remarked, giving the three a little breather now that there was someone who could properly help the Princess earn favor from Begnion in order to regain her lost kingdom. "However, I would advise against making such a snide comment in the future, prince. It would do you well to remember that you are in _my_ empire, and as such my rules are law." Finished with that, she quickly turned back to the Crimean princess.

"Even so, you being the prince of a nearly dead kingdom gives no support to the supposed princess, Elincia," she continued, Khimari and Ike bristling on the inside. "And considering as you are a part of this mercenary group, I would find it safe to presume that you have both been paid off to keep your mouths faithful to her."

"I am neither a noble or knight. I have no connection to any sort of any palace whatsoever, but I would not betray my convictions, no matter how much gold was being offered to me. And you are right in saying that Elincia paid us; however, it was the standard payment of being her guards and escorts against the Daein onslaught, and nothing more. The only reason we have even come this far is because we believe Elincia to be a woman of integrity. That being said, I don't particularly care about your position or whoever you're supposed to be; I won't stand here and let you mock the trust we have shared in Elincia," he said, with determination, though in his silent fury he forgot that they were talking to the ruler of the biggest country in Tellius. Making the leader mad was not an option.

"My Lord Ike!" Elincia shouted in concern, worried about the repercussions that could be a result of him speaking out much too freely.

"How dare you!" Lekain once again shouted. "No one address the apostle with such crudeness! Guards, seize that man! For his abuse of the apostle, the only penalty can be death!" he proclaimed, as the two guards at the door came in, ready to restrain Ike as the senator wished.

"…Halt," Sanaki called out, before giving a laugh. "Sephiran was right about you…You certainly are an interesting person," she mused, bringing confusion to the two boys' faces.

"Sephiran? The suspicious monk guy from the prison?" Khimari echoed, as he was settled on that person being someone of importance, and now his suspicion was proven correct.

"A monk?" the empress repeated. "His disguises are ever so clever. He is such an enigmatic individual, and he never ceases to amaze me," she murmured, before remembering that the three were still in the room. "In truth, Sephiran is Duke Persis, as well as my most trusted advisor. He's been traveling the lands for months, investigating in order to get a better grasp of the situation in Crimea," she elaborated, much to the three's interest.

"You…knew we were coming. You knew who we were all along," Elincia noted, to which Sanaki nodded.

"Yes, and I must apologize for testing you. You see, life here in the palace is dreadfully dull, and I easily fall victim to boredom. Thanks to the princess and her brazen little escort, this interrogation has proven to be quite entertaining." All Khimari could do was give the apostle a blank stare as the senators started to laugh at the scene that beheld them.

"Oh ho ho!" the fat guy laughed, making the wolf wish he had a heart attack at the sight. "That is what this was, eh? So very much like you, apostle. A cunning game of wits and words indeed, almost so convincing as to fool your most loyal servant, Duke Oliver of Tanas! I am ever so humbled!" he complimented.

"Suck up…Go eat another cake," Khimari muttered under his breath, and Ike was the only who heard that statement, and fought to keep a straight face. In this case, it was more manageable due to him actually being angry. As the senators continued their little celebration party, Ike's anger was growing bit by bit. How dare they play with Princess Elincia's emotions like it's not even worth a grain of salt?

"Princess Crimea! It appears that you've put a smile on the face of our beloved apostle. Such an honor that must be!" the third senator, Duke Hershey or some crap like that said.

"Ah…Um…Well…I suppose so…" Elincia meekly said, not sure how to take being played with like that, and at his breaking point, Ike huffed very loudly through his nose as he was starting to get _very_ annoyed with these stuck-up people's games.

"Oh yes, I got caught up in all the fun I nearly forgot," the empress said as the laughter started to cease. "Sephiran has vouched for your identity as the princess of Crimea, and I require no other proof. You may rest easy," she determined, which set Ike on to a full-blown outrage.

"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed, bringing Sanaki's attention back on the commander.

"Yes?"

"You knew Elincia was Princess Crimea, but you still humiliated her for your own entertainment? Some stupid game of wits and words? This isn't a joke!" he yelled, everyone in the room going silent as Ike continued his rant. "Elincia's kingdom is lost to her! All of her family has been hunted down and murdered by Daein monsters, and she comes to YOU after going through traumatic experiences that will scar her for a lifetime! Then you laugh at her!? Where is the humor in that? You all make me sick! And you owe Princess Elincia here an apology," he finished, rounding in on the apostle as Elincia quickly tried to pacify the angry teenager.

"M-My Lord Ike, please-"

"Wretched peasant!" Lekain yowled out once again. "Give that tongue once more, and-"

"Hey, shut up, will ya? You're giving me a headache," Khimari interrupted, speaking for the first time since Ike's outburst. His comment put a smirk on the apostle's face, as well as the two Holy Guard members right next to her, though the senator was not happy at all.

"You, you insufferable su-"

"Lekain! Restrain yourself"! Sanaki quickly commanded, shutting the man up before he could say something to make the wolf get angry as well. One mercenary commander wasn't too much, but the last thing they needed was a rampaging Laguz in the halls where she called home.

"But…but…" he tried to defend, but unable to talk back to his leader.

"I am speaking. Be still, and hold your tongue." The blonde-haired senator growled in response, but did not say anything as he took his seat, and his silence. "Now then, Ike," she said, redirecting her attention to said mercenary commander. "I do understand your feelings, and I see that your passion to protect your employer is a beautiful thing. However, your abrasive behavior is testing my patience. Raise your voice to me once more, and you will greatly damage your princess's already precarious position. Do you understand?"

"Not really," Ike challenged. "Why don't you fill me in?"

"Even if Elincia is truly Crimean royalty, at best she is the heir to a dead country, and nothing more. Without Begnion's support, her claim holds no meaning, or am I mistaken?" she challenged, continuing when Ike stayed silent in thought. "Even if we do harm her fragile feelings, for the sake of her country, she has no choice but to stand and do nothing but beg for our favor…Or have you been oblivious to that fact?" Ike still stayed silent throughout the whole explanation, not trusting his mouth at the moment to do anything besides help their case. "I have much to consider. Now, I shall take my leave of you. I will convene with my senators and discuss this state of affairs. Crimea's future will not be uncertain for long. Until then, why don't you rest and relax? Or even…try your hand at our games of wits and words," she said, rising from her throne and leaving, along with the three senators from earlier.

The three were guided outside of the palace hall by Tanith once again, and they were lead to the mess hall, where all of the mercenaries were currently sitting, being served breakfast. Ike, Khimari and Elincia all took their seats at a table, where Soren, Titania and Nasir were all sitting. They all sat in silence, creating a tension in the room until Titania took the liberty of breaking the uncomfortable silence. "How'd the talk go?"

"Long story short, we got what we came here for, but we're still on thin ice," the wolf summed up, leading three looks of confusion to set their gaze on him. "Empress got annoying, Ike had a tantrum, the fat man needs to have a heart attack, and I'm glad I that I don't have to deal with stuffy people with sticks up their butts." After that short and confusing summary, they turned to Ike to give the details in a more…understanding way.

"When we started the conversation, the apostle instantly started to question Princess Elincia for anything that could prove her relation to the royal house, as expected. When she said that she didn't have anything, Sanaki looked for someone important to vouch for the princess."

"What then? Surely, no one would be able to give something like that on the princess's behalf that we have knowledge of," Soren concluded.

"Well, we both vouched for the princess, then she started asking even more questions, and went as far as to insult both of us and the princess, until she revealed it was all a _joke_!" Ike said. "They already knew about the princess, but since they were so "dreadfully bored," they wanted to torture Elincia and make her beg and squirm for entertainment! The nerve that little girl has to talk down to us and take advantage of our situation for amusement…I can't stand her!" he ranted, as everyone now had a good insight about what happened in the talk.

"Ike, isn't it possible that…the apostle saved you?" Titania asked her commander, who looked at her in confusion until Nasir helped explain what she meant.

"She is correct. Begnion is a nation ruled by time-honored customs and traditions. You insulted their apostle-the people's very way of life. The mere fact that you are still breathing is a miracle in itself."

"I…hadn't realized," Ike admitted, honestly not thinking about the consequences when he stood up for Elincia back in the throne room of the temple. It's almost exactly like Khimari told him: he nearly got someone killed again in the future, and much to his displeasure, the wolf was right.

"And as her escort," the man continued, "your criminal behavior would have fallen directly on to Princess Elincia. If the apostle was truly angered by your actions, any hope left over for Crimea would have evaporated like dust in the wind."

"But…who would sacrifice a whole country to satisfy an ego?"

"This may not be much of an answer, but letting madness rule the way we live is the prerogative of nobility. The Beorc divide themselves into classes, and with those classes, come power and prejudice for those under them. From the moment we are born to the moment we die, we commoners know that we are not in any position to defy the upper classes," Soren explained. Ike sat in silence, contemplating the mage's words carefully as everyone else thought he needed some alone time, though the princess stayed with him as everyone went their own separate ways.

Khimari himself had no idea what to do here, so he settled to going to the garden, where some of the other people were staying at, doing anything they could in order to pass some time. Finding nothing better to do, he went over to Nephenee and sat down next to the mint-haired girl who took notice of her boyfriend as he walked over.

"Heya, Nephee," he greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, just lookin' at these plants n' stuff," she answered, before taking her hand on the petal of a purple flower that she liked a lot. "It's real calm here, but it's kinda borin' when we're just sittin' around doin' nothin'."

"You're right about that…Maybe we can try to find something to do," the wolf offered, making Nephenee's brain go into a slight panic.

"It's not another prank, is it?" she asked rather quickly, though she did enjoy the wolf's way of entertainment, that wasn't exactly the smartest idea to do in some powerful person's house…

"No, but that is a good idea," he rejected, before he adopted a little smile. "We should go explore!"

"Umm…explore what?" Nephenee prodded, somewhat confused at what he meant.

"Well, I mean the dry fishes of course!"

"…" She couldn't find anything to say, so she just settled for shaking her head in wonder along with a small smile at the silly Laguz. "You might have some weeds in yer head that needs some pullin'."

"Heyy! A little crazy only makes it more fun!" the wolf defended. "I mean we should look around someplace, and try to find something interesting. What say you?"

"…I say you got some missin' sense in that head o' yours, but why not?" she lightly jabbed, making Khimari fake pout at the statement.

"Aww, why am I the one with the screws loose?" he asked childishly.

"Because ya are…" she deadpanned, making Khimari think about the conversation up to now.

"You're right…Well, that's all the better!" he proclaimed, reiterating the beginning of the conversation. Just then, the wyvern knight Jill came over to the wolf, her hand on her other arm as she looked nervous. Ever since the incident on the ship, they hadn't talked much, though Mist had told him many times over that she was getting better by the day. It was really a fault on his part due to being stubborn as hell, and simply didn't talk to the girl on a part of his "I don't care" mentality that starts to become apparent when he meets someone that rubs him off the wrong way. Weirdly, they've never actually even gave each other a chat before now, considering Khimari was off doing whatever he was doing and Jill was still trying to get open with the other mercenaries and things. 'Well, no use being mean,' he mentally sighed, before giving the former Daein soldier a small smile. "Hey Jill, how are you?"

"I'm…fine. I just wanted to say that I was…sorry for what I said back on the ship," she apologized, which put her a whole lot higher up in his book at the sight of her being humble.

"Meh, don't worry about it," he waved off, much to the girl's surprise.

"Wow…That's it? No test, no retort?" she asked, suspicious.

"Hey, you said you were sorry, why should I be the one with the issue?" he shrugged.

"Hm…" Jill murmured, saying nothing as she walked away from the wolf, leaving the couple back where they started, wondering how to cure their extreme boredom.

XXXXX

 _Three days later…_

'Oh my gosh!' Khimari thought as he was sitting with Nephenee while they were in a conversation with Marcia about her brother. "So, your brother is the reason you quit?" he said once again, feeling uncomfortable around the Pegasus knight only because she was making him very hungry… 'Hey, that horse looks pretty delicious…' he thought, before immediately sending that idea out of his head as he listened to Marcia's ranting.

"You baked the cake at the right heat! I swear, if I find that no good chowder-head, I am gonna keep on him so much until he's crispier than fried chicken!" she swore, only serving to make Khimari's stomach growl, which took her attention off of her brother, and food…hopefully.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little hungry…" he said, though he greatly downplayed that statement. He was STARVING, and he had been forced to only eat a certain amount due to these cooks only making oh so much food. He missed Oscar's cooking oh so much right now…

"Hello, Marcia," a voice cut in, everyone turning their eyes to see Tanith, the Deputy Commander of the apostle's Holy Guard. Said Pegasus knight went stiff at the sound of the voice, and turned around nervously to see the woman right behind her.

"H-hi, D-deputy c-c-commander," she nervously stuttered out, bringing a "hmph" out of the other Pegasi rider before she turned to the Laguz.

"The apostle wants to see you. Follow me, if you please," she told Khimari, before turning around. Looking back at the two girls, he simply gave a shrug before going with the woman. As they walked back, Khimari couldn't help but wonder why Marcia was so scared of her. His mind did snap back to the beginning of the conversation, when Marcia told the two that Tanith was feared throughout her troop because of her harsh attitude and ridiculous training regimen.

"Hey, Tanith, is it?" he called as the two walked, making her turn her head over to the Laguz. "I've heard about your…training from one of your soldiers. Seems like you work 'em hard, eh?" he said with a small smirk.

"My training is only for those who can take it. We have no use for weaklings in the Holy Guard," she scoffed. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…I've made up my own little training thing, but I could always use help trying to make it better," he admitted. "You wouldn't mind helping me put some ideas together, would you?" he asked, and she did think about it seriously before she around once again to give her answer.

"Soon, I'll ask for permission from Commander Sigrun if you can watch one of our training sessions. During that, we'll be able to share tips and whatnot," she agreed, the smallest hint of a smirk at her face. The two slave-drivers had formed a beautiful yet scary relationship at that moment, and Ike, as well as Marcia simultaneously shivered in fright for a moment before going back to whatever they were doing.

Anyways, their little chat was finished as Khimari and Tanith finished the walk to the apostle's throne hall, and the two entered similarly like three days ago, and the wolf stood at Sanaki's throne while the Pegasus knight took her place by her side, this time though there were no senators. "Wolf prince," she started, instantly causing him to raise an eyebrow. "Good afternoon to you," she greeted.

"And to you, too," he returned. "What do you want from me?" he immediately questioned, leading the apostle to give a quick laugh at the wolf.

"My, don't you get to the chase fast? Alright, I want you to tell me about this supposed wolf tribe of yours," she demanded.

"And may I question why you have an interest in my tribe?" he returned.

"I must say, my senators are people that I trust, given my position that is a must. However, I must say that they have a habit of stretching the truth, especially of details when it comes to certain topics; your tribe, for one."

"May I ask what they have said?" he inquired, narrowing his eyes at the empress.

"According to their recollection of events, the wolves were heartless thieves who wished to control the rest of Tellius behind the scenes, which was the reason they weren't exactly welcomed by the other nations due to their extreme differences, which made the wolves create their own kingdom in the Gallian borders," she explained. "Then, upon the banning of slavery, the wolves conspired with the herons to assassinate my grandmother, Misaha, which in turn led to the Serenes Massacre. Afterwards, the wolves were slowly cornered, and upon being shunned by their Laguz cousins for their past actions, they were eventually cornered and thrown out of their land, and right to the doors of extinction," she finished, Khimari's eyes subconsciously becoming slits in the middle of her tale, and his tail hair starting to raise in anger.

"Is…that so?" he calmly said, his burning anger seeping through his voice. Quickly, the two door guards started to point their lances at the wolf, before the Apostle put her hand up, telling them to stop. Obeying their leader, the two raised their lances once more and went back to the hall entrance. "Tell me what other lies your senators told you about…" he said, barely containing himself in front of the apostle.

"They have done their best to wipe the scourges of Tellius from history, as they have informed me."

"Bullshit," he immediately retorted, not exactly caring how rude he was being at the moment. "If the wolves were such a problem, what would stop Begnion from making some trumped-up lie about them in order to remove them from their hair? It's bad enough that they had the nerve to frame the herons in order to exterminate them, but now they brought the wolves into this because there was something they wanted to keep hidden," he said, making Sanaki raise an eyebrow at the Laguz.

"Really? What do you have to tell me about your race in defense of your tribe?" she goaded, similarly as to what she did to Princess Elincia simply a few days ago.

"Cut the crap. I'm not here for games. I'm here to tell you that the wolves have done nothing to warrant such a bad reputation, and while I may admit we are natural pranksters, we are far more intelligent than to murder the leader of the most powerful nation on Tellius," he defended, fed up with this talk. "If you called me here to do nothing but insult my tribe, then I'll be going."

"…Ha…" the empress started, before it turned into a small fit of laughter. "Aren't you the sharp-tongued one? I see you don't play games, and I assure you, I do not harbor any prejudice against you or your clan. I see the real information of the wolves stay true to this day, no matter the lies spread by others," she told him. "Anyways, I thank you for coming to me. You may leave now."

"Thank you, empress," he curtly said with a small bow, before walking out. He would definitely have to find some way to get rid of this pent-up anger, but he would keep it in right now. Going back to where everyone else was, the only person he saw was Nasir, who seemed to be thinking about something. "Um…Are you alright?" he asked, snapping the captain out of his stupor.

"Oh, yes, I was just…thinking about something," he said. "So, I hear the apostle took you earlier. Would it be too much to ask what it was about?"

"…I guess you're trustworthy enough," he decided, before taking a little breath. "I went to see the apostle about my tribe, the wolves. She told me about them, and asked me what I had to say to defend them," he informed the other man.

"I see…And as the only remain of a forsaken nation, you're the only one who can take the blame of your kinfolk; or clear their tarnished name," he remarked, leading the wolf to nod in agreement. "I must say, I am sorry to hear of your tribe's fate. My granddaughter and I were good friends with many of the wolves, and we were a little devastated when we first received the news," he said, surprising the wolf.

"T-Thank you, Nasir. It is good to know that there are those who keep my people in their memory," he thanked sincerely, giving a small nod with his head.

"It is important that you do too," the blue-haired man returned, before exiting the scene, leaving the prince to his own thoughts about his country.

XXXXX

 _Two days later…_

Okay, this was one bored wolf, and a bored wolf means a dangerous situation. While he didn't exactly like the apostle's games to try and get some entertainment through watching people squirm in discomfort and embarrassment, he couldn't deny that she was right in saying that this palace was dreadfully boring. After nearly every guard stopped constantly watching him because he was a Laguz, he went on a little self tour of the temple, as the apostle allowed. It wasn't much to see, and he finished the little temple tour on the same day he started.

Thankfully, it seemed that Mist's thoughts were the same as his own. The only difference being that unlike Khimari, the medallion carrier couldn't hold her words as well as he could. "I'm so BOOOORED!" she complained to Ike and Khimari. "We've been here for five days already, and there's NOTHING to do! I don't care if they gave us free reign to look at the temple, it's a bunch of white walls and fancy paint! I'm sick of it!" she said, before laying her head on Khimari's wolf belly.

"I take it Princess Elincia has been invited to yet another social gathering," Titania said, as she was pretty tired of the lack of action as well. "Some time off is one thing, but this is…"

"Well, I guess I can get some fencing practice in," Ike said to himself. "Khimari?" he called, making the wolf turn his head, before working his way from under Mist's head before Nasir came to the three with some more news.

"Ike, the captain of the holy guard is coming this way," he told the commander, and they turned to see the mint-haired woman coming towards them.

"I beg your pardon," she formally said to Ike. "Are you and your mercenary company enjoying your stay in Begnion? Is there anything that is wanting from you?" she offered.

"There's nothing to do, Mist is bored, and Khimari is a few hours away from sneaking out of the palace for a quick hunt," Ike revealed, getting withering looks from his brother and sister.

"You know, there's a reason I said quick hunt, because no one's supposed to know!" he hissed in irritation, while Mist had to add her own two gold about the commander's lack of tact.

"Why'd you say that!?"

"Because you said so just a few moments ago," he obliviously retorted. "You just said that you were bored and tired of waiting," he echoed, before rounding on Khimari. "And you said that you were sick of these nobles with sticks-"

"I really don't think you should say that, unless you want my hunt to be directed towards multiple targets," Khimari threatened, not exactly keen on having his comments being repeated to the entire listening world.

"My apologies…" Titania apologized while the thee got absorbed in their little argument. "They didn't mean any offense to you. They're just a little…frustrated," she explained, and Sigrun gave a little smile at the three's antics.

"Yes, I understand. I will pay it no mind," she reassured, as Ike just lost the verbal battle against Mist and Khimari and just came up to the holy guard member as to avoid saying anything to the two right now.

"Did you have some reason for coming to us?" Ike asked, to which Sigrun nodded.

"Yes, I bring word from the apostle…She wishes to charge you with a task," she revealed, everyone's eyes going wide at the information.

"The apostle wants to employ us?" Ike repeated, and the mint-head nodded once again in confirmation. Eyes hardening, he turned to the wolf. "Khimari, get everyone together and ready to leave by the time I come back," he ordered. Nodding, the wolf transformed and started to go to the rooms as Ike, and Titania went with Sigrun to the apostle. Mist simply stayed back and got her own supplies ready for whatever mission they were hired to do.

The first room he came to, he opened to see Brom and Zihark talking to each other, and they looked at him as he opened the door. "Hey guys, we have a mission! Get ready," he told the two, who nodded as he closed the door. That was what he did for every single room with someone in it, until he was sure that he got to everyone. After he finished that task, he was currently heading to the meeting point he told everyone about with Lethe and Mordecai, who really didn't have to prepare for anything considering everything they need is a transformation away.

"Do you know what this mission is?" Lethe asked the wolf, who shook his head as a negative.

"Nope!" he smiled, making the cat roll her eyes in disbelief.

"Then why are you so happy?"

"Because, we get out of here! I'm sick of seeing white walls! It's like a cage, and everyone hates cages," he explained, before transforming into a wolf, much to Lethe and Mordecai's apparent confusion.

"Is something wrong with Khimari? Why did you transform?" the tiger asked, before Khimari gave a little yawn.

"It's more comfortable," he simply replied, bringing a look of realization to the two Gallians as they remembered that the wolf could stay transformed for as long as he wanted. The two simply shook their heads at the prince's antics. Just then, the first wave of the mercenaries came, in the form of Zihark, Ilyana, Jill, Marcia, Nephenee, and Brom. Going over to the small group, Khimari asked them once again if they are ready. "Do you have everything you're gonna need?" A chorus of nods followed his question, and he returned to where he was with Lethe and Mordecai .

"So, how's Begnion?" he asked the two Laguz, and Lethe immediately scoffed at the question.

"It's calm…and extremely boring. There's no action done anywhere, and the best we can do is sit around at the garden," she summed up, which was about the same as every other answer Khimari got when he asked someone that question. "I'm itching for a good fight."

"Make sure it isn't a flea-Woah!" Khimari said before Lethe nearly kicked him with her foot, clearly not happy that he suggested fleas being on her pelt.

"I'm _sure_ that there aren't any fleas on my pelt, thank you very much," she retorted, the wolf padding calmly back to the cat.

"Just making sure," he returned, making Lethe twitch her eye again before simply sighing, and giving the faintest hint of a smile, which Khimari caught. "Is that a smiiile?" he prodded, getting closer to the cat, who scoffed and turned away while she crossed her arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she denied.

"You're lying, because your ear twitched twice," he noted, surprising the cat that he could tell so easily.

"How did you know?"

"Because…you told me," he snidely remarked, which made the cat realize that she fell for yet another one of the wolf's little mind games, which he seemed to be a master of. Grunting in anger, she glared daggers at Khimari, who simply smiled back at her.

"I want to fight you, after this mission," she demanded, her irritation getting the best of her yet again. Unlike last time, Khimari simply shrugged instead of denying the challenge.

"Why not? I need to stretch my legs after being this bored for so long," he agreed, and she was honestly a little shocked that he didn't try to avoid the fight like last time.

"You agreed?"

"Well, yeah. I need a good fight every once in a while, or I'd go insane," he admitted, to which she nodded in agreement herself. As Laguz, fighting was second nature to them, and they did need some sort of fighting in order to keep them calm. Some crazy psychology going on there, but that's just how it was. As they were talking, eventually everyone met up at the location, and before long Ike returned along with Titania and Soren.

"Everyone, we got a mission from the apostle," Ike said. "Follow me!" he directed, and everyone followed the commander to their next assignment.

XXXXX

Arriving at an old road, the group stopped here as Soren had dictated this to be the best place to complete their mission, which was to ambush and retrieve some cargo. "Alright everyone, get ready," he told everyone, and he then gave positions to everyone. "Marcia and Jill, you two take the left part of the road, while Ilyana…" The wolf tuned his words out, as he really wasn't interested in knowing where everyone went, so he just waited until Ike called his name, which apparently took quite a while. "Khimari," he finally said, perking the wolf up. "You're the main force along with Lethe and Mordecai. You three try and break through the forces, and handle the leader while handling any sort of ambush against us," he dictated, to which they all nodded. Getting in their group, they awaited the go from Ike as Titania returned from looking at the passing group. "Here they come. Is this the right bunch, Titania?" he asked the paladin.

"The fog makes it hard to see, but going by their numbers and appearance, they match our intelligence. That must be them," she observed.

"Well, they've certainly seen us," Soren interjected. "Their readying their weapons," he informed the commander.

"Alright…Get ready to fight, everyone!" he told the group, and they officially split into the groups which Ike put them into earlier. Khimari acting as the unofficial leader, he led the other two Laguz over the bridge, before separating from Ike's group in order to do their job. Nearly instantly, they were met with resistance in the form of some axe fighters, and a faraway archer. Acting quickly, the three Laguz split up to handle each opponent, Khimari and Mordecai handling the fighters while Lethe took care of the archer.

Against the three, the opposition didn't have much of a chance in the first place. Khimari quickly ripped through his opponent, the man falling to the ground as he looked over to see Mordecai already finished with his enemy as well, and Lethe engaged in another fight with a fighter and a berserker. Coming to the cat's aid, the two blue Laguz ran over to Lethe and jumped into the fray.

Mordecai quickly took the fighter off of Lethe's hands, while the cat and wolf double-teamed the berserker. Starting his assault first, Khimari ran forward and quickly feinted around the man, taking a slash that managed to cut his back, barely missing his spine. To his surprise, the berserker did not show any sign of pain or slowing down as he turned to take another shot at Lethe, who managed to dodge barely as he kept on going. This time, Lethe took a shot and thrust her claws in the man's stomach quite deeply before going back to join Khimari.

Yet again, if this man was in pain, he did not show it as he kept at the two. Raising his axe once more, he gave a battle cry as he charged forward with the intent to kill. Instantly separating as he swung his axe down, he went straight to the right, in Khimari's direction and kept hacking. As he kept on the defensive, he found himself backed against the river after dodging many of the strikes from the berserker. As the axe wielder closed in on the wolf, Khimari started to breath harder as the memory of being cornered by the Black Knight came back to the forefront of his mind, before he pushed the memory away from him.

Refusing to be a victim to fear, Khimari gave out a primal roar, stopping the berserker in his tracks. Taking advantage of the moment, he leaped forward in one bound, before he beheaded the man, finally ending him once and for all. Finished at last, the three regrouped, and the two Gallians stopped for a second when they took a look at the wolf. "Is something wrong?" he growled, though they shook their heads, signaling that they were fine. Beckoning them over with his tail, he silently led them through a small stream, before they heard a piercing voice through the air.

"Release the Feral!" someone shouted, and the three Laguz could hear the direction of the voice. Deciding to follow it, they stalked over to the voice's origin, before yet another voice sailed through the air.

"STUFF IT, SPONGE-BRAIN! NO MORE EXCUSES! YOU COME WITH ME, NOW!" Marcia's voice rang out, and it was quite obvious to Khimari that she found her "chowder-headed" brother.

Turning to the other two Laguz, he shook his head in slight laughter. "Don't worry, she's fine," he reassured with a snort of laughter, causing the two Gallians to share a look as the wolf took point again. Stopping suddenly, Mordecai took a strong whiff of the air, prompting Khimari and Lethe to do the same thing. "What's that stench?" he asked, though it seems the other two were just as clueless as the wolf. Coming closer, they arrived on land once again, though this seemed to be where the boss was, seeing as there were cargo there as well as another berserker.

What was the most confusing thing though…was the sight of two gray tigers protecting the cargo along with the other one. Revealing themselves, the berserker looked over, and gained a look of surprise at the sight of Laguz. "What are more Laguz doing here?" he asked himself. "Well, I guess we'll have to test them before I can judge how much they'll be worth," he decided, the three taking an instant dislike to the man after a statement like that. "Destroy them!" he ordered the two tigers, who got up and started to close in on the three. It was horrible to see them; their eyes were bloodshot and their mouths were foaming, much like rabies if one needed a comparison.

"Leave us here!" Lethe quickly hissed to the wolf. "We'll handle these two." Hesitating for a second, he had a good mind to reject what she told him to do, though he thought better of it. If they all handled the tigers, he would get a perfect chance to escape and keep doing whatever he was doing.

Nodding, he bounded away from the tigers onto the one in charge, the berserker who's eyes widened at the closer sight of him. "Oh-ho, a wolf! You'll be worth a fortune!" he laughed, the thought of money clearly shooting through his eyes.

"W-What?" Khimari asked, his anger slowly taking control of him as he listened to the man ramble about _selling_ him.

"Come here, little doggie…You're gonna make me the richest person in the-huh?" he suddenly stopped at hearing a growl coming from Khimari. As for the wolf, all he saw was red as he started to creep closer to the man. Slowly stepping back, he raised his axe as the wolf prince kept advancing on him. "S-Stay back!"

"Grr…Grrr…GRROOOOAAHHH!" the wolf roared, leaping at the man seeing blood. Hastily raising his axe, he blocked the Laguz before firing a counterattack that was easily avoided. Rushing back towards the leader, Khimari jumped at the man once again, his claws outstretched. He knew he couldn't put his axe up in time, so in a panic fit he raised his arm. Reaching his target, Khimari impaled the man's arm, his claws actually going _through_ his arm, causing the Beorc to yowl in pain. In anger, he tackled the man down to the ground, before dealing the finishing bite to the berserker, taking satisfaction at the _snap_ that resonated from his neck.

His head dropping down to the ground with a thud, Khimari's head quickly snapped over to someone else approaching. Quickly readying himself, he leaped at the figure…who actually turned out to be Ike. In surprise, he quickly raised his sword to block the blow. "Khimari!" he yowled, breaking the wolf out of his trance. Shaking his head rapidly, the red started to leave his eyesight and he could see everything how it was again. Reverting back to his Beorc form, he quickly came over to the commander. "Geez, what's wrong with you!?" he shouted, not too happy that he just got attacked by an ally.

"Sorry, I…just lost it," Khimari apologized, looking down in shame that he still couldn't control himself. If Ike didn't see it, he would have been ripped to shreds. Raising an eyebrow, Ike looked behind Khimari, and his eyes widened seeing a puddle of blood right behind the wolf, the man's arm with holes through it as well as his neck bent at an unnatural angle, his spine slightly sticking out of his body.

Suppressing his urge to go somewhere and throw up, he simply put a hand on Khimari's shoulder. "Don't worry, you're not in any trouble. Now, help me get these boxes," he said. Raising his head again, he went over with Ike over to the cargo chariot. Going over to the cargo, he could see that Ike was having a hard time with it. Helping his brother out, he took the other side of the box and helped him get it out.

"Wow, that's heavy," he noted, though the wolf kept his silence as he went to get the next box, the only sound he made a little grunt as he picked up the next box by himself. Sighing, Ike went over with the gathered troops to seize the rest of the crates.

XXXXX

Running over on the sandy ground, Caineghis was running to the meeting of the Laguz royalty to discuss Daein's sudden takeover of Crimea, and it's advancement onto Gallian borders. Leaving Giffca to rule the kingdom in his stead, he took three of his closest aides and headed off to the meeting place in Goldoa, land of the dragons. Upon arriving, the king of Gallia reverted back to his Beorc form as he came over to the forms of the dragon king, Dheginsea and his son, Kurthnaga. Stopping in front of the black dragon of legend, the lion raised his right arm, placing his fist over his heart. The dragon in return reciprocated the action as they greeted one another, until their attention was taken by a hawk's caw that came from the air.

Looking towards the sky, he saw the green hawk that was Tibarn, the king of Phoenicis and the Hawks, as well as Prince Reyson, one of the two survivors of the Serenes Massacre that occurred twenty years ago. Coming down to land, the two reverted to their Beorc forms as well, before a black feather dropped down, and a little thump was heard as the king of Kilvas and the ravens, Naesala made his flashy entrance.

Turning around, Caineghis looked at the rest of the Laguz royalty, before he decided that it would be an opportune time to begin the meeting. "Thank you all for coming, my fellow Laguz kings. It's been decades since we have all gathered in one place. I would like to extend my gratitude to King Dheginsea of Goldoa, who arranged this meeting at such short notice," he thanked, turning to the dragon for a second.

"It was nothing, King Caineghis," he curtly replied, before the king of beasts returned his attention to the rest of his audience.

"Fellow kings and countrymen, please heed my words! As I am certain you have heard, Daein has invaded Crimea and overrun her. Of course, Crimea is a Beorc nation…However, since her founding, they have made every effort to approach Laguz with honor and dignity. Never has this been more true than the thirty-year reign of Good King Ramon. During this era, both Gallia and Crimea have initiated many ambitious cultural advancements in an attempt to bring our divided races together. Yet one man has always despised our work…Daein King Ashnard. Why he has taken the course of war and invasion, I do not understand, though I can clearly see that his actions are monstrous. His army has put much of Crimea to the sword, and her people live in terror and fear as their king lies died. And now, the Daein forces continue their ruinous march and cross the borders into Laguz territory…Into Gallia," he explained, giving the whole scope of the situation to his fellow royalty.

"That trespass, king of lions, is because your country chooses to harbor King Crimea's orphan, is it not?" Tibarn queried, his arms crossed. Caineghis set his gaze on the hawk king as he gave his response.

"Yes, that would be the justification they'd most likely present."

"But the princess of Crimea is no longer in Gallia, is she?" At the question, the Gallian king let out a "hmph" in slight laughter.

"I see your spies are as efficient as ever, King Tibarn of Phoenicis. As you say, the princess has already departed for Begnion."

"I only have this information because she came to the aid of a ship carrying Begnion's apostle," he revealed, giving Caineghis a moment of relief.

"So Princess Elincia is safe and in contact with the Begnion empire. That news gladdens my heart."

"I do not believe that Daein has this information yet," the hawk continued. "If word got out that the princess has taken sanctuary in Begnion, Daein will call of its invasion of Gallia," he said, before the raven king Naesala scoffed in a mocking manner.

"Your information is dated, hawk king! Have your legendary eyes and ears abandoned you after all of these years?" he sneered at the hawk, making said king narrow his eyes at the raven.

"Is there something you would like to say?" Tibarn challenged.

"Yes, would you be so kind as to explain yourself, King Kilvas?" Caineghis agreed, making the king simply push his fingers through his hair.

"Princess Elincia barely escaped Crimea with her life and then fled to Gallia," he reiterated. "And yet a certain beast king here, one of whom she had pinned all hope, chose not to support her," he jabbed, though the king did not reply to the sly comment. "With nowhere else to turn, the princess and her retinue spent nearly two long months at sea, arriving in Begnion mere days ago. Daein knows of these events as well, and has dispatched a team of hunters to make a corpse of the girl," he continued, making Caineghis' eyes wide at the revelation of the raven king. "And that, dear kings, is the latest news…at least, to my poor knowledge," he jabbed once again.

"Daein knows the princess is in Begnion? King Kilvas, how have you come to possess this information?" he interrogated, though he knew that he wouldn't received a straight answer.

"Why, there is no trick to it. I just perk my ears…and point them in the right direction," he replied.

"You expect us to believe that a stray wind carried it to your ears?" Tibarn scoffed. "This is an odd tale, Naesala."

"Hmm…Do you think so? Well, I do have one trick to information gathering that I do know. Shall I share it with you?" he offered.

"If it involves dealing with the humans, I'll pass. Forgoing my Laguz pride is something I'm not willing to do," he rejected, eliciting a condescending laugh from Naesala.

"Ha! Is that the way of Phoenicis, to cling to those last tattered remnants of pride? Instead of proclaiming that you will attack none but Begnion ships, just admit that you don't have the power to do more!" he goaded, working on Tibarn's nerves.

"What did you say?"

"Both of you, desist!" Dheginsea ordered, forcing the two to separate. "King Kilvas, your actions as of late can be judged as too extreme."

"Black King of Goldoa, what do you pretend to know of my actions? Please, enlighten me," Naesala challenged.

"I would remind you of the Beorc ship you attacked in Phoenicisian waters…and left stranded in Goldoan territory," he brought up, making the raven king see that he left a few strings uncut.

"Oh…that…" he said, bringing his eyes up to the top of his head.

"Naesala, you lying crow! You've been sneaking about in my territory again, haven't you?"

"I heard from my own son, Kurthnaga, that a Beorc resembling Princess Crimea was aboard that ship…along with the supposed prince of wolves," he revealed, turning everyone's heads towards the two dragons.

"It is true," Kurthnaga confirmed.

"So Khimari is with the princess in Begnion as well…" Caineghis murmured, drawing curious glances from the others.

'Hm, so that wolf wasn't just some slave…' Naesala mused silently as a new topic had arisen.

"King Gallia, you know of this prince?" Tibarn asked, to which Caineghis nodded.

"Yes, he was a messenger from a mercenary company who sent the news of the princess's coming to our knowledge. Without him, Crimea's last hope may have been extinguished."

"And what of his tribe?" Dheginsea added, making the lion's expression grow solemn.

"He has been separated from his tribe for a while. He may very well be the last of his race."

"Hm, so that's who the one from the ship was. Oh well, looks like he'll be fine."

"What, King Kilvas? You-"

"Don't act surprised! I have no intention of ruling some tiny island nation forever, you know. To that end, no amount of gold will matter. Beorc or Laguz, as long as the pay is right, there's nothing that I won't do," he proclaimed.

"I care not about the reaches of your ambition, but I would advise you to be more careful in choosing your methods. What good will expanding your borders do if you find enemies at every border?" he asked, making the raven king ponder the wise words of the dragon king.

"I will take your words to heart for the time being," he curtly said, and as he knew that was the best response he would receive, Dheginsea next turned to the hawk and heron king and prince, respectively.

"And you too, King Phoenicis. What good will piracy do if it earns you the wrath of the Begnion kingdom? If you continue at this pace, hostilities between your nations will never end."

"Until the people of Begnion apologize for the slaughter of our brother herons, we shall do no such thing," he stubbornly refused.

"Prince Reyson of Serenes? Are you of the same mind?" he questioned, shifting his eyes to the white bird Laguz.

"Those humans burned Serenes Forest and killed my people. No amount of human blood can slake my thirst for vengeance. For my siblings, my countrymen, I demand justice!" he proclaimed. "I cannot even return my bedridden father to his home!" he said in anger, before calming down, if only slightly. "I know nothing of war, so King Phoenicis acts in my stead. I am most grateful to him, and I would see him stop until Begnion has paid," he declared, his hate filled speech bringing the dragon king to mentally sigh.

"Blood only leads to blood, and violence begets violence, nothing more. Revenge is simply another name for murder," he wisely said, leading the heron to have no response to his words. "And what of you, king of lions?" he questioned, returning back to the reason they had the meeting in the first place. "What will you do about your home of Gallia? Now that you know of Daein's feint toward Gallia is merely another move in his game of war, how will you act?"

"They've made no formal declaration of war," Caineghis observed. "Until they do, we shall watch and wait."

"If it's the first step towards eradicating all human scum, Phoenicis will help you destroy Daein," he offered, until the lion shook his head a negative.

"No. Unless this becomes a true war along all nations, I want you all to stay your hand. As long as Gallia is protected by its seas of trees, we can stave off Daein's attacks."

"Ah, the luxury of a large kingdom!" the raven king once again interjected. "You would waste the chance to expand your territory just to maintain the status quo. Sad," he scoffed, drawing a glare from Gallia's king, though the beast king remained silent as the dragon king gave his own verdict.

"I agree with King Gallia," he decided. "If we were to form a Laguz alliance against Daein, we would risk driving Begnion to Daein's side and thus losing a valuable ally. The flames of war must not be fanned haphazardly. And above all, we must remember Lehran's Medallion," he reminded everyone there, his gaze containing every single figure as he looked over every single person who was there. "It's location is unknown…but we know that it still exists. And as long as it does, we cannot allow any war that could stand to engulf all our nations! Do you understand, Laguz kings?" he asked, and though silence met his question, he knew that his words reverberated through everyone's minds. "I beg of you, do not forget it."

XXXXX

A/N: Holy smokes, I don't like boogie people, something that I learned from this chapter, and life. Like, so here I am, mad at this girl who decided to gmail me at freaking 10:00 at night, just because her birthday was the next day…After I officially cut ties with that person. Like SERIOUSLY, when MY birthday came, you didn't even CARE to know, but know that it's YOUR birthday, everyone's supposed to GROVEL to you! And then she had the NERVE to call me a "country a-hole…" Well excuse me for being your miserable friend for eight months, helping you when your boyfriend felt like dumping your "a double snake" because of your big mouth, then had the audacity to ask ME to fix your screw up…And this was one DAY after you tell me that I don't matter… I'm SOOO glad that she's finally out of my life…Actually on second thought, I have to get her number out of my phone's contacts…When I find my phone, :P

Well…Besides that little rant, I hope you enjoyed the story. Remember to fave, follow, review and all that crap I have no idea why I don't copy and paste every chapter, and see you next time! (No, I am not bipolar, I'm just a Libra who has let go of something that I don't need)


	14. Desert Bandits

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Hey there, guys! Here's another chapter, and I have a special thanks to…here we go, Miss(or Mister, idk, but I think the pony implies Miss) Dreamer Rose, who pointed out some GLARING issues with the last chapter, which I fixed IMMEDIATELY! So thank her for making this story more readable. And what the heck, thank Mr. John Wolf as well, who's been a great source for advice! And one last mention, to FoxwolfJackson, who unknowingly gave me the inspiration to write this story! (I wonder if he even reads this...That would be awesome) Now that that's done, on with the story!

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done_

In the early morning hours, Khimari was sitting outside, laying down in his Laguz form, thinking alone as he always did. This time, he didn't mind doing anything because it gave him a while to think; no other opinions, just him and himself. It was probably selfish of him to want to get away from everyone, he thought, but it was just something that gave him piece of mind for the next day.

'Hmm…A crescent moon,' he noted, looking at the large celestial body that ruled over the night sky. Taking out one of his claws, he raised it up in the sky, and saw that it nearly covered the moon, save for a little sliver on the right side. 'So…it's waxing,' he determined, seeing as it seemed to be getting larger. Moon watching aside, the wolf simply took the time to sniff some flowers, and do whatever he did, before once again laying down in slight boredom at the lack of activities to do here.

"So that's where you were," a voice said, making the wolf turn around to see Ike, ready for the day already, apparently.

'I really need to stop letting people get so close to me without me noticing,' he mentally noted to himself. "Yep, here I am," he returned, before going back to looking at the moon. With nothing else to do, Ike simply sat down right next to the Laguz. "Ya know," Khimari started, prompting Ike to look at his surrogate brother. "After everything that's happened, it's still hard to believe that everyone we've met…is so special in their own way. Like, they're more than the average person, making their own little mark in the sky, like little stars," he compared, rising to all fours as he noticed something in Ike's hand. "What's that?"

"Oh, this?" he said, pulling out a scroll. "This is something that you dropped earlier in the hallway. The reason I was looking for you is to give you this, actually," he explained, holding said scroll out in his hand. Lightly grabbing it with his jaws, Khimari laid it on the ground before taking out one of his claws in order to break the seal. Afterwards, he prodded the top part with his nose, until it was fully opened. "What is it?" Ike asked curiously.

"It's an…occult scroll," he read, making Ike furrow his eyebrows in confusion. "Err, it's supposed to be able to help someone worthy reach their full potential," he explained. "This is what I found on that pirate ship from a week ago…"

"Why don't you use it?"

"Because…I'm not ready," the wolf admitted, closing his eyes. "I just can't…"

"Why?"

"I don't want to hurt anybody because I can't control myself," he confessed, sighing as he felt a weight leave his shoulder. That must have been what was really wrong with him. He was scared of himself. "You know what happened yesterday; If you didn't see me-"

"Hey, shut up," Ike said, bringing a weird look to Khimari's face. "I did see it, and I turned out fine, so let it go. If you think that you can't control yourself, then you won't. At the end of the day, what you do is what you did. It's done and over," he preached.

"…You're right," he said, before adopting a small wolf grin on his face. "I'll just get better…and then I'll be able to control myself!" he proclaimed, before turning in surprise as the scroll started to emit a light. Wondering what it was, Khimari walked over to it, and was shocked when the light brightened around him, though to Ike all he saw was Khimari staring at the scroll.

The light kept surrounding Khimari, until he was surrounded by a heavenly white glow. Wondering what was happening, he looked around to see clouds around him, and he looked up to see the stars of the night get brighter, as well as the moon that become full as its light shone on the ground below. When the moonlight hit Khimari, he was washed over by a power that seemed to rush through him, and before he knew it, he was back to the courtyard of the apostle's palace. He looked back over at Ike, who simply continued to stare at the wolf in amazement, much to his confusion.

"Ike? Are you alright?"

"Your shroud is back…" he pointed out, gesturing to the wolf's body. Looking around, he saw that the blue aura that surrounded him indeed returned, though it steadily disappeared after a few moments. "So…How do you feel? You just looked at the thing like you were crazy, and then the light came around you like that time on the ship."

"I feel…different...stronger… Like I could take on a dragon by myself," he described, as he licked his paw.

"Don't let that head of yours get too big, we don't need another Boyd in the group," Ike jibed, to Khimari's annoyance.

"Okay, why is everyone comparing me to Boyd!? Don't you guys realize that's an insult?" he responded, to which Ike simply shrugged.

"What can I say? This palace is so dreadfully boring," he quoted from the apostle, making the wolf snort in laughter.

"Speaking of dreadfully boring…Do you know what was in those boxes? It smelt like something was alive in there," Khimari admitted, making Ike's eyebrow rise.

"They were much heavier than regular cargo, wasn't it?" he noted, remembering how he needed help from the wolf to get the first box out. "I asked the two Pegasus knight that stay by the apostle, but they just avoided my question. Suspicious, if you ask me," he said. "Aw well, maybe she'll tell us when we get our payment today."

"Yeah right," Khimari snorted. "And we'll come across some green-haired sand hermit who's gonna train you and Mist for the rest of your sword training," he made up, slapping Ike with his ears.

"Hey! Don't do that," he yowled.

"What? Can't handle soft ears?" he taunted, before he saw that the moon was starting to disappear from the sky. "You should probably go back. Dawn's coming," he noted, pointing a paw upwards towards the first few orange streaks in the sky.

"Me? What are you doing?" Ike questioned.

"If you have to know, Tanith said that we can talk about training methods to each other," he revealed, giving an evil smile. "And after we finish talking, she'll implement some ideas with the Holy Guard, while I use what I learn on…whoever you want to bring to boot camp with you."

"Wait, training's not over?"

"Of course not! The only reason we haven't done anything is because I was too bored to think of it and I was too busy not trying to rip some people into little pieces," he said off-handedly.

"Riiight…Well, I guess I'll go get ready for the meeting with the apostle. If it's not too much trouble, could you keep Mist occupied? She's been complaining again," he said, before leaving the scene.

"Sneaky…You have much to learn, but you've learned well," Khimari said to himself about Ike's question to him. Stretching back up, he quickly transformed back to his Beorc form, before putting his two arms behind his head. "Well, I guess I' d better go meet Tanith. I'd hate to be late…"

XXXXX

"Well…that was a good talk," Khimari determined to himself, walking back from the little exchange that he and Tanith had over their training methods. It was rather enlightening, he had to say. She had many good tips on how to make your troops stronger and more weapon-efficient, while the woman had complimented Khimari's speed and reflex training, saying that it's a good motivation to keep them on their toes, lest they find themselves with an arrow in their back.

Whistling a little bit, he was on his way to Mist, who was undoubtedly complaining about how bored she was to some poor soul. To his surprise, however, she was gossiping with Nephenee, Mia and Princess Elincia about…boys?

'Better not get into that one,' he wisely thought, leaving the situation before any of the four took note of him there, though he had to admit, he wondered if they were talking about him. Instead, he went back into the little garden square to see that Titania and Boyd were practicing, the two having a little spar. Interested, Khimari walked closer to the two, spectating as Boyd was surprisingly keeping up with the red-haired paladin.

Impressed, he kept looking as Titania beat Boyd, landing a would-be fatal attack with her wooden axe, though the battle did look very close. After finishing, she turned around to see the wolf sitting down, watching the two brawl it out. "Hello, Khimari," she greeted, as Boyd came back over as well. "How much did you see?"

"Not too much, but I can tell Boyd's gotten a _lot_ better," he complimented in an insulting voice, which left Boyd feeling in the middle of offended and praised at the same time.

"Hey, what do you…thank you? Urgghh!" he shouted, not knowing if he was being nice or snarky as usual. Titania just smiled at the middle brother's antics.

"Would you like to join? We could always use an extra partner," she offered, and Khimari nodded, eager to get some action.

"Why not? So…Am I going against you or Boyd?" he asked, awaiting what the paladin had in store for him.

"Actually…Why don't you take both of us on? That way, we can actually give you a challenge," she proposed, and a fire lit up in the Laguz's eyes; this would definitely be interesting.

"I'll do it," he agreed, before Boyd snorted.

"Hey, you think you can take on both of us?" he prodded, only to receive a light elbow from Titania.

"Last time you two fought, I heard you couldn't even touch him. I don't think you should be making any taunting remarks," she chastised, leading the fighter to somewhat go red in embarrassment as the wolf took his side of the field. Following Khimari's example, the two went to the other side of the field, and readied themselves against the wolf, whose tail slowly swished side to side at a slow pace, as if to build drama.

Deciding to surprise the two, Khimari suddenly leaped forward, instantly putting the two on edge as to who he would attack first. Quickly feinting to the left, he went in Boyd's direction as he put the power in his hind legs. Boyd readied his swing, and launched an attack on the wolf, though it was easily avoided by Khimari, who jumped _over_ the green-haired fighter and attacked Titania. Prepared for a maneuver like this, she already was already in a defensive stance as she blocked the wolf's strike, giving Boyd the perfect opportunity to land a blow.

Hefting his trainee axe with practiced ease, the fighter went in to land a clear shot, before a blue light surrounded Khimari, the Laguz transforming back into his Beorc form in the heat of battle. Before Boyd could finish his blow, Khimari jumped to the side while kicking him down to the ground, before taking on his Laguz form again.

Leading the assault on this round, Titania rushed forward, her ponytail catching wind as it soared through the air. Swinging her axe, her blow was once again avoided as the wolf backpedaled away from her, before getting ready for another leap. Bracing herself, she raised her axe when Khimari jumped, though he jumped a much shorter distance than she had predicted. In her little moment of confusion, Khimari jumped one more time, and his intention was clear when the wolf jumped over her…Boyd was the target.

Caught unaware, Boyd only had a moment's notice to try to defend himself as the wolf jumped on him, the strength of the assault forcing the fighter to the ground. 'One down,' the wolf thought as he jumped off Boyd and turned to take the remaining axe user, Titania. Staring off for a moment, the two looked each other over as they tried to find a way to get the advantage over the other. Both of them were so engrossed in their battle, they didn't notice that they attracted quite a crowd, including Ike who returned from his business with the apostle.

Going for one last gambit, Titania ran forward again, following up with a flurry of blows that were all either countered or avoided, though the rapid intensity of the barrage didn't let Khimari get a chance to retaliate. After a while, he pondered about defending until the female warrior tired out; problem was, she does not tire easily. That left one option left…paw to hand combat.

Launching her attack once again, Titania swung down her axe at the wolf, and instead of dodging this blow, he caught the handle of the axe with his jaws, being careful as not to accidently bite the paladin. Then, using his paws, he caught a firm grip on the handle and twisted his whole body, snapping the axe from its hilt. The only downside was a splinter that caught in his paw. Preferring not to make it agitated, Khimari transformed back to his Beorc form, as Titania dropped her stance, knowing she lost without a weapon.

"Why did you transform back?" she asked, and that was something that all of the spectators wanted to know at that moment.

"…I had a splinter in my paw," he answered, plucking out said piece of wood from his hand before licking it, like he would do in his wolf form. "I hate splinters." Everyone gave him a blank stare at the answer, and all of them gave the Laguz some type of look, be it one of confusion, exasperation, or even the classic "are you serious?" Scratching his head in embarrassment, he slightly jumped when he finally noticed the giant crowd. "Um…hey guys…When did you get here?" he asked, leading to a chorus of sighs from said crowd.

"I wonder about you sometimes…" Mist muttered as the crowd started to disperse, soon enough leaving Ike, Mist, and Titania leftover in the clearing.

"I see some people are working hard," Ike commented, giving his opinion of the fight that ended a few minutes ago. "Two at once, eh?"

"What can I say? I'm just awesome like that," he lightly bragged, closing one eye to leave only his blue one exposed.

"Anyways," Titania interjected. "How did the meeting with the apostle go?" At the mention of the ten year old, Ike simply huffed once again. "Not too good, I guess."

"Meeting with the apostle was fine, but all she did was pay us and give us another job…She didn't answer anything," he revealed, to receive a snort from the wolf.

"What makes you think that she would? There was something alive in there…What was she going to tell you, "Oh, they were just some people I'm going to use for a modeling career, now scurry along?" he slightly mocked, rolling his eyes. "My nose smells something that's up, and something tells me it has something to do with that fat guy," he said, making Ike raise an eyebrow.

"That Duke Oliver guy? What do you have against-"

"He's annoying, he's a suck-up, and he's a freaking BALLOON! I mean, he's probably eating some sweet potato pie RIGHT now, or at the very least, eating SOME sort of dessert. I bet he hasn't even used the bathroom since last month, and that's probably where all of his blubber comes from. I swear, all of his servants must be freaking turkeys, or at the very least some chickens. But then again, he's some noble gasbag, so maybe he's just farting them out, or pooping, I don't care. He probably doesn't even poop! I mean, how else would it work, besides cutting fat off of him every time he gets constipated, which is probably EVERY 3 HOURS! …You know what, I'm going to talk to Nasir. I'll see you later," Khimari ended, leaving a hysterically laughing Mist, an utterly confused Titania, and an Ike that's not trying to laugh his guts out.

"Well…that was…enlightening," Titania summed up, trying not to laugh too hard, unlike Mist who was rolling on the ground holding her stomach. "But he has a point…before the whole fat guy…rant," she snickered, simply not being able to hold in her laughter any longer. "But, what d-do you think the apostle is going to do with them?" she asked, still laughing a little bit in between.

"I don't know," he sighed, wishing that Khimari would come back and bring some more laughter over here. "Are all nobles and royals like this? They have all these plans and paperwork, and their speech is as confusing as it is tedious," he remarked.

"Wow, tedious! That's a great new word!" Khimari complimented from behind the swordsman, making him jump in surprise and annoyance. "And, no, not all royals are like this. Remember King Caineghis, and the dragon prince? They weren't nearly as jacked up as these whojimamas. And even if it's just a Beorc thing, which it probably is, no offense to you three, Princess Elincia is an exception because she wasn't raised like that," he answered, and though Ike didn't appreciate the jab to his intelligence.

"Believe me, no offense was taken with that comment," Ike said. "I think I can safely say that I'll never understand the customs of Beorc nobles."

"You and me, both, Ike," Khimari agreed, before remembering something. "Hm…I'm forgetting something…But I don't know what it is…" he mumbled, confusing the three even further. Standing still, Khimari assumed a thinking position for a few seconds, before the light went off in his head. "That's what it was! Ike, what's the mission the apostle gave you?" he asked.

"She told us that we had to take out some bandits in the Grann Desert."

"So…we're going into the desert? Okay. I'll make sure to tell everyone," Khimari noted. "And we can't really take everyone, so you have to choose some people to stay back here," he mentioned, and Ike nodded to it. Going into a desert would be something that would require some speed, as to avoid being in the climate too long.

"Okay, tell the armor knights that they can sit this one out, and…let Kieran and Oscar stay too…That should be all that I can think of," he said, bringing a grin to Khimari's face.

"Wow, you remembered that knights can barely move in the desert. You deserve a sticker!" he congratulated, making said mercenary irritated…again.

"Oh, just go off and do what you said you'll do…Lord Khimari," he added purposely to get on the wolf's nerves. It seemed to work as his tail twitched in annoyance, though his face was as stoic as ever.

"Don't make me tell the fat man to…" he then went to Ike's ear and whispered the rest to his brother as Mist and Titania looked in wonder as Ike's face started to get redder and redder as he continued, the whole scene pretty comical as Khimari took a few steps back and made a bright smile while showing only his blue eye. "Well, now that that's done, I'll make sure they'll be ready in the next hour or so…give or take a few minutes. See ya!" the wolf chirped happily, seemingly skipping down the hallways in felicity while Mist was trying to pry Ike to tell her what the Laguz told him.

"Iiikkke! What did he say?" she prodded, pulling her brother's arm.

"…I think that should stay a secret," Ike mysteriously said, before taking a deep breath as his facial color returned. "I'll start getting ready, you two should as well." The two girls nodded, and went to their room to gather their things that they'd need for the mission. Ike did the same, and went to his room as well to prepare. He didn't really need much, only his sword and the other essentials, like a vulnerary and stuff like that. Going into the room, he went over to get his sword, as well as the other essentials. Finishing in less than five minutes, he put the stuff back where it belonged, before he accidentally knocked one of his training swords under Khimari's bed. Getting on his knees, he easily found his training sword, though when he pulled it out, he found that something else was hidden under the bed.

Reaching under with his hand, he barely got to the object, and carefully pulled it out, revealing it to be…a book? Turning it over, he saw the title, " _A New Land_." Looking up slightly, he saw a little piece of rope hanging out, as a bookmark he'd guess. "Huh, Khimari does read. No wonder he's so smart…" Ike murmured to himself, before putting the book back where he had it, respecting the wolf's privacy. Making sure everything was straight, Ike opened the door to exit the room, he saw the Holy Guard commander coming towards his room.

"How are your preparations progressing?" she asked the mercenary commander.

"They're underway. We'll be leaving within the hour," he relayed from what Khimari told him.

"Your next mission takes you into the Grann desert…Make sure your companions are chosen with care," she advised, to which he nodded, Khimari's remark from earlier coming back into his head.

"Deserts are just large patches of sandy soil, right?" he asked, earning a laugh from the Pegasus knight.

"With one major difference! Unlike sandy soil, you will not find ground if you dig. You can keep digging to your heart's content only to find more sand. Also, foot units and horsebacks will be hard to move around."

"Okay. Soren would know these types of things, but…" he trailed, knowing that the mage has been much more…reclusive as of late.

"Has something befallen master Soren?" Sigrun asked with some degree of worry.

"I don't know if he's feeling sick or if he's just moping around. It all started when we arrived in Begnion," he told her.

"Oh…"

"Be that as it may, I guess it wouldn't hurt to know this information myself. Can you tell me more?" he requested, to which she nodded.

"Of course. In the deserts, they have little water, and the soil is very dry. There aren't that many trees or grasses there, so there won't be much of anything to provide you with cover. And then, like I mentioned before, foot and horseback units have a hard time traversing the terrain, although magical units, staff users, and thieves are an exception to that rule," she informed him, though he was a little curious about how mages can get through so easily.

"I get why thieves would be unaffected, because they're fast and all that, but those with skill in the magical arts? That doesn't make sense…"

"Well, I once heard an explanation from a magic user I know…He claimed that the spirits which he employed flew before him and cleared the sand from his path," she said. "However…considering the source, I'm not sure how much of that is true," she admitted, a small smile on her face.

"Who was the source?"

"Prime Minister Sephiran," she revealed, stunning the teen greatly that someone of such a high level in this political ladder crap would pull a joke like that.

"Would he play a joke like that?" he pondered, which garnered another laugh from the cheerful Pegasus knight.

"Well, the prime minister is a very amusing man. But please, let me continue my explanation. What else?.." she quickly murmured to herself, before she caught her place where she stopped. "Oh, yes, others that are unaffected by the terrain include, Pegasus knights, Dracoknights, and other fliers. Not to mention Laguz too, they won't be affected as much, but they still will be slowed down some."

"You said Laguz, didn't you?" he noted, seeing as everyone else talked down against the other race here. "Nearly everyone here says sub-human…"

"Well, of course," she sighed. "Both Beorc and Laguz are living beings. Every precious life that was created to be equal by the goddess. The fact that there are still those who persecute Laguz in the land of the goddess, it is deplorable," she admitted, and Ike agreed with her.

"Khimari would definitely take a liking to you," he mentioned, which sent the mint-haired woman into another small fit of giggles.

"Oh, yes. The wolf prince is an…entertaining person. I must say, I didn't know what to think when I talked to him before, but he seems so…different," she recalled, bringing a confused look to the mercenary's face.

"Different, how?"

"For one example, he properly uses the insulting terms and the formal terms for both Beorc and Laguz alike. When one knight persecuted him for transforming a few days ago, he did say, and I quote, "I don't give a lick about what a human does, so stay away from me and we'll be fine," but then just a few moments later in a conversation with me, he does a complete character change, using Beorc when talking about the people of the company. It was definitely…baffling," she admitted, getting a small smirk out of Ike. If someone could confuse somebody, that wolf was the one to count on.

"Well, he's known for his mood swings and confusing ways, even here in the company. He can avoid the truth for a whole day, but still be the bluntest person in the world at the same time," Ike commented, before a thought came to mind. "Say…the way you talk and everything…Are you a noble?" he asked.

"Why, yes, I am. One must be of noble birth to serve the goddess," she revealed.

"But, I thought…" he stopped for a second, carefully wording what he would say in order to avoid offending the Pegasus knight. "I thought that all nobles were half-crazed fools who didn't know how to speak the truth," he admitted. "You seem quite honest."

"Ha!" she laughed quietly. "I'll take that as a compliment. And one more thing…"

"Yes?"

"The desert contains remnants of more than one lost civilization. Rumor has it that treasures from those times still lie undiscovered beneath the shifting sands. Those with good luck may come across it, during battle," she told him.

"Thank you for the info," he said, to her.

"You are most welcome. Now, I believe that your troops are nearly ready to depart," she notified, seeing as there were some gathering. "Bye your leave," she said, before leaving the scene as Ike got ready to lead the troops on.

"Oh, wait…Marcia's brother…" he said aloud, recalling how the Pegasus knight told him to knock some sense into her brother earlier, and that he was in the farthest room down. Deciding that there was nothing wrong with that request, he went down to where the horseman was staying, and heard the pink-haired man talking to himself rather loudly.

"…For all that glitter and gold, there's an equal amount of dangerous work," he mentioned to himself. "Now that, I could go without. Maybe I could use my prone-to-illness ploy!" he said to himself, making Ike raise an eyebrow. He was going to use them to make some free coin? He didn't think so. "And now that I've a fixed income, it's time to visit the local inns and see what games of chance are about!" he proclaimed, and Ike decided to bust him then and there.

"Evening," he simply said, prompting the other man to turn around at him.

"You…Did you happen to hear any of that?" he asked quietly, and he could help but twitch his eye slightly.

"You were talking out loud…Loudly…"

"Oh, crap…um…"he stammered, trying to find a way out of it, even when he was caught red-handed. "I wasn't being serious…I'm an extremely diligent man!"

"You were in debt to those peddlers you were with, right?"

"Ugh, y-yes! How…how did you know?" he questioned in a whisper.

"When we took out the group, your debt vanished," he told Makalov, making him very happy.

"Yes, you're right! That was a tremendous help!" he thanked.

"Come on, you can't think the world is that nice," Ike chided, making the other man raise an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Debts are debts, and you have many. We couldn't have debt collectors hounding us for money day in and day out, so my staff officer paid the rest of the money you owe," he revealed, making the Pegasus knight's BIG brother very elated.

"Th-That's very kind of-"

"Don't…thank me yet. You, are now in OUR debt," he turned. "You fight to repay the Greil Mercenaries." He could see why Khimari liked to do this so much, as he took a good smirk seeing the man's face turn to one of horror.

"Payment will be deducted from your wages…Seems to me like you'll be working for free, my friend," he told the horse knight, giving a very Khimari-like smile.

"Ohhh! I-Oh!"

"Until your debt to US is completely paid off, don't even think about leaving the company…or saying that you're sick," he said. "All right! I trust you'll do your best-and come on, your with us on this mission." Leaving the pink-haired man to his own, he went to the front of the palace to see that nearly everyone was there.

"Ah! Let go of me!" a voice shouted within the group, and Ike turned his head slightly to see Khimari holding Sothe upside-down with his tail.

"Give it back, and I might," he said, and Ike wonder what the little boy took until he sighed and grabbed the wolf's Laguz Gem out of his pocket, dropping it in the Laguz's hand.

"Now let go of me!" the green-haired thief shouted once again.

"Mmm…No. You're missing something."

"What!? Ugh…I'm sorry," he apologized, before he was unceremoniously dropped on his butt by Khimari, while he put his gem back on his neck.

"That's better. And next time, don't steal people's things, got it?" he reprimanded sternly, Sothe giving a nod at the wolf's words. "Now," he continued in a much softer tone. "Make sure that you're ready, and…here ya go," Khimari said, holding out a cookie for the little kid. Eyes widening, Sothe quickly tried to take the cookie, but found that the Laguz had an iron grip on it. Realizing that this was for him to learn manners, he sighed once again.

"Thank you," the thief said, and Khimari let go of the cookie before patting the boy's head.

"There ya go," he soothed. "See, sometimes asking goes much farther than stealing. If you weren't an ally, I doubt that you'd still be with us right now," the wolf said, which was a double-layered phrase. It meant that not everyone would be his friend, and that if caught, he could get killed. Sothe, who understood both meanings, gulped quite loudly before nodding loudly. "So…what's the lesson in all this?" he asked.

"Don't steal from you unless I have a death wish?" he responded, getting a laugh from the Laguz.

"Well, that's an important one, too. But, not quite what I'm looking for," Khimari told him.

"Always say Laguz to a Laguz?"

"Also very important, but no."

"Umm…" Sothe thought, scrambling his brain for something. "Never make fun of the country girl? Ow!" he yelled as Khimari flicked his forehead.

"Stop stalling and spit it out!" he hissed, getting a little annoyed.

"Okay, okay…There's a time to steal, but only if asking won't work," he sighed.

"Hm…You learn quick. Another thing, you say "please" when you ask someone for something, but you seem like you know that," he smiled, once again changing personalities in the blink of an eye.

"Um…Khimari?" Sothe nervously asked.

"Yes, Sothe?"

"Do you…have like, some mood disorder? You're all angry one moment, then you're smiling, then you're annoyed…I can't figure it out," he said, causing the Laguz to laugh once again.

"That, Sothe, is one of the wonders of the world. If someone could figure out my personality so easily, then it wouldn't be as fun, right?" he described, to which the little boy nodded. "Well, Ike is waiting for me to turn around and give him the status report, so fall in line with the others," he directed, and Sothe eagerly nodded before going over to everyone else as the wolf looked back at Ike.

"Well, aren't you quite the disciplinarian?" Ike rhetorically asked, remembering Khimari doing the same thing to him, despite being barely older than the Beorc.

"Yep! You turned out well, so I must be doing something right!"

"Hey, you're barely older than me, so let's not get something confused."

"Four months is four months. Don't complain," Khimari returned, making Ike huff. "Back to business, everyone's ready to go, and for thinking ahead, I went and found this thing for you," he relayed, also handing Ike a Brave Sword.

"What?" he said, as he took the blade from Khimari. "Where did you…"

"Well, let's just say that boxes weren't the only things on that caravan. Now, come on! My claws are itching for a fight!" Ike only smiled at his brother, before nodding as he sheathed his newly-acquired sword.

"Is everyone ready?" he asked everyone, who either responded with a "yes" or a nod, or in Khimari's case, a "what did I just tell you?" He wisely ignored that comment as he took his place at the front of the group. "Greil Mercenaries, move out!" he said, before they departed for the desert.

XXXXX

"It's…so…hot…" Mist complained as the group walked through the desert. "Why on earth would anybody be here? It's like an oven!"

"Mist, what's wrong? We haven't been here that long, and besides, the desert isn't very hot at all," Khimari said, padding over to the little girl.

"Oh, stuff it, you! I wasn't born in a desert, so I don't know how this goes!" she returned.

"Well, lemme give you a history lesson, then. Back in Hatari, we used cacti for water, as well as a river that was closest to us, only about a two hour trip," he started, making Mist inwardly cringe.

"Two hours!? Just to get water?"

"Yep! It was fun, too, unless we got attacked by somebody, but that nearly never happened," he recalled.

"…I'll never understand you," Mist said. "Who says that traveling for four hours to deliver water to their village is FUN?"

"I do," he said. "And it's not my fault because you can't take the heat. The only really bad part was going to all of those classes," he mentioned, while shuddering.

"Classes? Like school?" Mist asked.

"Yeah, they were the worst things ever. Even now, the only thing I could remember was my teacher's name, Kawila. She was a nice Beorc, and sometimes she would give me a rabbit if she could find one," he reminisced, making Mordecai interested in the conversation as well, as the three where in a little traveling group.

"Hatari had Beorc?" Mordecai asked.

"Yeah! Everyone got along, and we had quite a bit of everyone. Laguz, Beorc, Branded, it didn't matter," he revealed. "That's why it took me awhile to get used to this place. It was so different…"

"That must have been a great place to be," Mordecai commented, and the wolf nodded his agreement.

"Yeah…" Khimari said, before he saw a great big building in eyesight. "Hey, we're here!" he called out, much like a little kid as he bounded forward to where Nephenee was. Mordecai could only shake his head at the Laguz, like Mist.

"He's so childish…" Mist muttered.

"Khimari is kind person, and wise in his own little way. Khimari just a little kid on inside," Mordecai added, in agreement with the brown-haired teenager's statement. Just then, Ike and Soren stopped, and everyone else followed suit.

"What's going on?" Mist asked.

"Someone's coming," Mordecai answered, as the wolf returned from talking with the mint-haired soldier. Not soon after he came back to the other two, three figures made themselves apparent; a tiger Laguz and two others in a cloak.

"Who are you? Answer me!" the cloaked one shouted, stepping forward a little bit.

"We're mercenaries," Ike answered. "We were hired to take care of a group of bandits operating in this area."

"More of the senators' dogs!" the other cloaked one sneered. "You cast us as thieves so you can murder us and hide your guilt! But we will not be defeated! Mark my words, the day will come when all slaves are free, and then you will pay for your crimes!" he declared, much to the group's confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Ike questioned, though his question fell on deaf ears.

"No more useless words! Come, my brothers!" the second cloaked person shouted, and the next thing they knew, they were all surrounded by Laguz. All the while, the three fell back to the building.

"We're facing Laguz? I don't like the sound of this…"

"Laguz or no, it doesn't change the fact that they are brigands. Do not lower your guard!" Soren advised.

"I know what I'm doing," Ike retorted before turning back to everyone else. "Everyone! Watch your footing in this sand! Take care and fight well!" With that, they found themselves engaged in the battle. Wondering what in the world was going on, Khimari went back to his Beorc form as he went to one of the enemy Laguz.

"What's going on? Why are you fighting?" he asked a cat.

"We fight for our enslaved brothers! If you get in the way of that, then you must be destroyed!" he declared, before transforming. Sighing at the situation they got themselves into, Khimari transformed himself as the cat pounced. Simply jumping back, he let the cat's claws hit the soft sand before he launched his own attack, clawing the Laguz's underbelly before giving the finishing neck bite. Releasing the limp cat from his jaws, he simply stared for a second before seeing that everyone else was starting to have trouble, as the bandits were starting to transform into their Laguz forms.

Rushing over, he claimed his next victim, a raven that tried to attack Mist with a quick bite as well. "Stay close to me," he told the girl, who nodded as she kept her sword in her hand. Not even a minute later, they found themselves being attacked by two tigers, and Khimari instantly took a defensive position in front of Mist. Ignoring the Beorc, both tigers jumped at the wolf with the intent of ripping him to shreds.

Giving a loud snarl, Khimari jumped head-on onto the left tiger, slicing his underbelly as he pinned the Laguz down with ease. Deciding that he had enough, he went on to the other tiger, who was engaged in a battle with Mist. Dodging the Laguz's swipe, Mist took a jab with her sword, and succeeded in piercing his side. Unfortunately, all that did was make the tiger even more aggressive.

Running to Mist's aid, he immediately jumped on the tiger, scoring his claws down the tiger's side before jumping off. The enemy Laguz shakily got up, but continued his charge nonetheless. Sighing once again, Khimari put the hurting tiger out of his misery with one more swipe of his claws, this time slicing his throat. Turning back to Mist, he beckoned her over with a jerk of his head. Coming over to the wolf, Khimari instantly noticed that Mist was shaking. "What's wrong with you?"

"N-nothing…Let's go," she said dismissively. Letting the issue go right now, the two walked through the desert, before Khimari gave a sniff, and felt something. Looking over, he saw something sticking out of the sand. Going over there, he grabbed the stick carefully with his teeth and pulled out a staff. Mist, who was right behind him, gasped at what he pulled out. "Hey, that's a Physic staff!"

"Here you go," he said, letting the girl take it out of his mouth. She nodded as she took the staff and put it in a little bag on her back. "Now, let's go finish this," he continued, taking the lead as the two traversed the desert. Apparently, Ike and most of the others went this route as well, considering the path was littered with Laguz, all of which were out of commission. Khimari couldn't help but sigh at all of the bodies as the two kept on to the building. A little while later, they arrived at the building entrance, where Ike, Soren, Titania, and Boyd were handling the two tigers, while the green one from earlier just stayed his place, guarding the entrance. "Hey, you!" he growled, getting the tiger's attention. "Why are you doing this? Can't we just work this out?"

"You don't see what they have done to us, my Laguz brother?" he responded, growling as well.

"I see right now that you're attacking us!" Khimari retorted. "There's a big misunderstanding here."

"No there isn't. I see that the humans have tamed you as well…" That comment struck a nerve in the wolf, as he was not, and never will be "tamed."

"Oh really? Then come over here and I'll show you just how "tamed" I am," he replied, before the battle commenced. Leaping forward, Khimari crashed into him, sending the two into a wrestle. Rolling over quite a few times, the wolf proved to be the stronger of the two, pinning down the tiger and scratching his side. Before he could do much more, he was pushed off by the tiger, although he still landed safely on his feet as his opponent regained his bearings. "Stop! I don't want to kill-"

"I will fight until I draw my last breath!" he roared, before running at Khimari. Bracing himself, the wolf waited until the tiger jumped, before slipping under him and biting his leg, breaking the bone in the process. Gaining some more distance, Khimari watched as the tiger tried, and failed to stand on his own.

"Ugh…No…" he said as he was forced to revert back to his Beorc form, in order to stand. Wobbling, he barely managed to get up, and nearly fell back down, until Khimari caught him before he landed on the desert sand.

"Mist! Can you heal him?" he called, and the cleric nodded, taking out her staff before putting it on the tiger, healing his broken arm.

"Why…do you help me?" he asked, as he stood up by himself when Mist finished healing him.

"I don't believe in killing someone in cold-blood," he simply said as Ike came over to the three.

"You! You're the leader of this band, aren't you?" he interrogated, to which the tiger hesitated, before nodding.

"Yes…I am. I'll resist you no further. Take me with you or execute me here…I don't care…But, will you let my companions free?" he tried to bargain.

"No! We won't let you!" a voice shouted, and the other two people came out, and took off their cloaks, revealing a Beorc boy and…another wolf Laguz.

"I won't let you take Maurim!" the Beorc shouted.

"Stay back, little one! You weren't supposed to expose-"

"If you want Maurim, then you'll have to kill us first!" the Laguz then replied.

"You…" Khimari said, not taking his eyes off of the orange wolf.

"Yes, this one's a wolf, and the other's a Beorc child. I claimed the two when they were simply cubs…These two have nothing to do with us…sub-humans…"

"Stop lying!" the Beorc yelled. "We're here because we want to be! Who's the leader of the Laguz Emancipation Army? We both are!"

"You're a big jerk Maurim! Trying to get yourself killed for everyone else's sake? I won't let you!" the Laguz chipped in, before noticing that Khimari was still staring at him. "Hey, why are you looking at me?"

"Because…you're another wolf," he pointed out, and that was when the kid started to actually look at the blue wolf even more.

"Hey…you're a wolf too! We must be family!" he shouted, running over to the older wolf.

"Wait, Rikari!" Maurim warned, but the kid didn't listen as he hugged Khimari, who looked on in mild shock before hugging the kid back.

"What's going on here? Mauri-Who are you?" another voice broke through, revealing another wolf, this one red.

"Hey, Tora! I found one of our family members!" Rikari shouted out, causing the now-revealed Tora to take a look at Khimari also, before giving a laugh.

"So…You were abandoned by the rest of the wolves, too?" he said, confusing Khimari.

"I…don't know what you're talking about. The wolves are in Hatari-"

"Where's that?" he interrupted.

"I don't know," Khimari repeated. "I got separated from the rest of the tribe ten years ago."

"Hah! So, you made it, but they kicked you out, too! I knew that Queen Nailah was no-good!" he shouted, making Khimari's eyes widen in surprise.

"You know Nailah?"

"Of course. She left my parents and I out here when we got chased out by those humans!" he spat. "She didn't do anything for us, and my parents were right about her. She's no-good, and doesn't deserve to be queen. But then again, that's probably why she left us…Leave her enemies to di-"

"Do you even know her?" he asked, trying very hard not to jump in defense of his mother.

"Well, no, but-"

"She's amazing. She always cared about her people, and tried to do what was best for them!"

"More lies! Do _you_ even kno-"

"Yes, I think I know my _mother_ very well," he retorted, bringing gasps from the people who didn't know of his origins, and a shocked look from Tora.

"Wait...What? Actually…They did say she had a child with some Gallian cat…" he muttered, before his face turned angry once again. "So you're probably just a selfish brat like her! You don't deserve to be prince!"

"Hang on, first of all, I'm _not_ a selfish brat, and just because you have some trumped-up bull against my mom doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away with talking about her or me!" he said, his temper slowly rising.

"Bah! More fools, that's the reason the wolves nearly died in the first place!" Tora retaliated, only making the prince angrier. "Face it, you _and_ your mother are nothing but demons!"

"…" Khimari just shook in cold anger, making the red cat laugh.

"Oh, did I hurt your feelings? I'm _so_ sorr-" He was quickly shut up by Khimari's glare, as his slitted eyes burned holes in his face. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't intimidated, but tried his best not to let his fear-scent show. "H-hey, I have an idea! How about we fight?"

"I agree," Khimari growled, ready to put this guy in his place.

"But…How about we make this interesting?" Tora suggested, his only response to keep talking being a twitch of Khimari's tail. "If I win, I become wolf prince," he proposed, making Ike come up to the two Laguz.

"Khimar-"

"Shut up, Ike," he said, before turning back to the red wolf. "Fine, but don't cry when I show you that you're just an angry kitty with a furball stuck up his ass."

XXXXX

(Tribute A/N)

A/N: Hoooolllyyy! Crapp! Things are sure getting spicy, aren't they? Well, Believe it or not, I finished this yesterday and it's an awesome cliffhanger, but I didn't upload it yesterday for three reasons. One, I wanted to make sure it was as mistake-free as possible. Two, I wanted to write a little bit more of the next chapter.

However, the third, and final reason is the most important to me. Why? I'm glad you asked. The day that I upload this, which should be July 12, is the day my idol, Minnie Riperton died in 1979 because of breast cancer. I'm doing this specifically because she's one of my biggest inspirations, besides Nobuo Uematsu and my grandma (and great-grandma), and her music specifically showed me another side of life when all I saw was darkness, _literally_. I just hate how she left the world so early (She died at 31), and sometimes I just wonder how much of an amazing and bright individual she was. From all of her works, from Lovin' You, to my favorite song _period_ Memory Lane, this woman definitely deserves more credit than she actually does get. You may or may not care about what I'm blabbing about, but this person is one of the only three reasons why I'm still _alive_ (Powerful stuff, ain't it?) and I just want to give a nice little honor to her on her 37th death anniversary. Please, listen to her music at least, and whether you like it or not, just at least give her the few minutes she more than deserves to listen to a few songs. (Tribute over)

Now that I finished that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter immensely, and please don't ask me what's going to happen next, because I don't know! Oh, and I'll add the two OC's, Tora and Rikari back on my page when I feel like it, which is sometime before Friday. Anyways, Fave, Follow, and Review and I'll see you guys sometime before August! (I have summer reading before school starts, and I'm not waiting until the last minute…P)


	15. You FORGOT?

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Hey, this sucks, please don't judge too much, have a good time, and see ya at the end! (Wow, nice and ephemeral)

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done…_

 _Last Time on Blue Wolf,_

" _Bah! More fools, that's the reason the wolves nearly died in the first place!" Tora retaliated, only making the prince angrier. "Face it, you and_ _your mother are nothing but demons!"_

"…" _Khimari just shook in cold anger, making the red cat laugh._

" _Oh, did I hurt your feelings? I'm so sorr-" He was quickly shut up by Khimari's glare, as his slitted eyes burned holes in his face. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't intimidated, but tried his best not to let his fear-scent show. "H-hey, I have an idea! How about we fight?"_

" _I agree," Khimari growled, ready to put this guy in his place._

" _But…How about we make this interesting?" Tora suggested, his only response to keep talking being a twitch of Khimari's tail. "If I win, I become wolf prince," he proposed, making Ike come up to the two Laguz._

" _Khimar-"_

" _Shut up, Ike," he said, before turning back to the red wolf. "Fine, but don't cry when I show you that you're just an angry kitty with a furball stuck up his ass."_

At that comment, Tora simply snorted at the blue wolf, before walking to the outside. Khimari closely followed the Laguz, before Ike grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, what are yo-"

"Stay out of this. It has nothing to do with you," Khimari coldly replied, before going outside along with the other wolf.

"What in the world? Why is he being so difficult?" Ike asked out loud.

"Beorc Ike," Mordecai called to him. "It is a battle of pride. Pride is important for Laguz."

"But-"

"Just do what the wolf says and stay out of it," Lethe interjected. "After all, think of this as a test for him."

"A test?" Ike echoed, not exactly understanding the cat.

"He was directly challenged for the throne of the wolves. In Laguz culture, all challenges to a royal must be met. He'll be fine, anyways. I hate to say it, but he…is in a different league when it comes to us Laguz," Lethe admitted, before following Maurim and the two kids outside along with Mordecai. Standing there for a moment, he just looked at the retreating Laguz as he processed all of the information that the two Gallians shared to him. This wasn't just a battle…

"Ike, are you alright?" Titania asked him, snapping him out of his stupor.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go see," he said, and the two exited to see that everyone else was outside, with the two going across from each other. As he went to get his own space, he noticed a green-haired swordsman standing in the crowd as well, but paid it no mind as he set his eyes on the two wolf Laguz.

"Are you ready to be dethroned _prince_?" the red wolf, Tora, spat out. Khimari did not say anything in response, only transforming into his Laguz form. "Oh, so you're the strong, silent type now? Heh, weakling," he taunted before transforming himself, the light fading to reveal a red wolf with white wrappings around his legs. The desert turned silent as the two stared each other down, as if paying its own respects to the two warriors.

The blue wolf started the battle, leaping at the red wolf, who braced himself at the incoming attack. When Khimari got to a certain distance, Tora pounced, crashing into Khimari as he raked his claws down his side. In retaliation, the wolf scratched the other wolf's head, dangerously close to his eye. Getting into a wrestle situation, Khimari quickly proved that he was physically stronger of the two, easily pushing the other wolf away. Giving his opponent no room to breathe, the blue wolf quickly jumped forward and bit Tora's side before backpedaling away from him.

At this point, Khimari could easily see that the red wolf was getting tired, judging by how hard he was panting. "Give it up. You have no chance," he tried to tell Tora, who simply growled in response.

"Never! I will defeat you, and you're going to pay!" he yowled, running to the wolf. Sighing at this fool, Khimari braced himself, before jumping to the side as Tora made it to where he was. Whipping back forward, the blue wolf jumped over his competitor and raked his claws along his back. As he finished his assaulted, he found Tora getting ready to scratch him again. Leaping back, he avoided a blow that would have clawed his throat out. Now he could see that this wolf was serious, and maybe it was time for him to step it up, too.

Jumping forward, Khimari snarled as he bit down on Tora's back, clawing it at the same time. Rolling over, the red wolf put himself on top, and prepared to deliver the killing bite. Going limp, the prince waited until he felt his jaws touch his neck before pushing his adversary off with all of his might, throwing him a considerable distance into the sandy dunes. Shaking himself off, he got ready as Tora got up from the dunes, glaring at the blue wolf. At this point, Khimari himself was starting to get a little tired, though he knew that the red wolf would fall before him.

Rushing toward the wolf prince, Tora tried to put the rest of his strength into final blow. As he approached, Khimari howled at his opponent as he felt the power that he had gained from the occult scroll come to him. Starting his own advance, Khimari jumped forward and whipped to the side of the red wolf, and scratched his underbelly, a blue puff of aura coming out of the blow. Ignoring the aura, the blue wolf scratched the red wolf's side, and once again, another blue puff came out while Khimari jumped back in preparation for the last barrage. Bounding forward, the prince struck Tora on his back with his claws, before grabbing the wolf's neck and biting on it, though not hard enough to kill him, two more blue puffs emanating from the blows as the blue wolf felt most of his wounds heal themselves. Khimari threw Tora through the sand as he landed on his four paws before raising his head, giving another howl, this howl one of victory and dominance. The red wolf struggled to return to his feet, but failed to do so, as he reverted back into his Beorc form, lying there bloody and defeated.

"Tora!" Rikari yelled, going over to his big brother and checking to see if he was okay. He tried to lift the older wolf, but found it to no avail as he was too heavy. Coming over to the two brothers, Khimari reverted back to his own Beorc form, before picking the nearly unconscious wolf up, his little brother on the verge of tears.

"Don't worry, I didn't kill him," Khimari soothed, putting his tail on the younger wolf's shoulder. "There's no need to cry; he'll live."

"What? I wasn't…gonna cry," he denied, wiping his tears away as the Beorc child came over. "So…Are you…our…prince now?"

"Well, I'd guess so," the blue wolf smiled. "Can you show me a place where I can lay him down?" he asked. Nodding, Rikari went running towards the building. Beckoning Mist over with his tail, the two walked towards the building, the orange wolf showed them the very back of the "bandit" base, which showed four beds.

"Here's his bed right here," Rikari told Khimari, who nodded as he laid the red wolf on his bed as Mist got her staff ready to heal the Laguz. Leaving the two in there, Khimari left to see Maurim and the Beorc child speaking with Ike, Titania and Nasir, who he forgot even came with them. Upon coming in there, he saw Ike pinch his nose in what seemed like frustration.

"Ok…So let me get this straight. It's been customary throughout Begnion's history to keep Laguz as slaves?"

"That's right," the young Beorc kid confirmed.

"But that's all in the past now!" Titania mentioned. "Twenty years ago, all slavery was outlawed, and all Laguz were freed!" He didn't feel like he had to listen to the conversation, so he just left the five people to their own devices as he exited the building, the two closest to the entrance being Lethe and Mordecai. The two Gallians looked at him for a second before slightly bowing their heads in respect.

"That was…quite a fight," Lethe commented. "Though…I have to say it was pretty one-sided. When the other wolf was starting to tire, you just…looked like you weren't even getting started."

"I wasn't. After I saw that, I told him to give up, but he didn't listen. After he tried to kill me, I stopped messing around," he mentioned, the cat nodding.

"Khimari is strong. Khimari is worthy to be prince," Mordecai then added, in respect of the wolf's strength.

"Thanks, Mordecai, but I'm still the silly, possibly bipolar wolf that you all know and love," he said, giving a smile at the two. "Though I do wonder…What happened to make him hate me so much?"

"Maybe he will tell Khimari when he feels like it," the tiger responded. The prince simply nodded in agreement with the statement; Tora would probably still hate him for a while, and won't be confessing anything to him for a long time.

"Yeah…" At that moment, Ike, Titania, Nasir, and Mist exited the building along with the other four that they found.

"They're going with us to see the apostle," Ike told the wolf. "I'm going to try and make her explain what she's hiding; so don't kill anyone before we get back."

"No promises," Khimari retorted, and Ike only sighed as the red wolf decided to keep his pride intact.

"Hmph. Like you could kill me," he taunted, before a little growl was heard.

"Don't try me; You won't like that," he warned, before Rikari got between the two Laguz.

"Hey, why don't we-"

"This doesn't concern you, Rikari. You should know not to interrupt," Tora reprimanded, before refocusing his attention on the prince. "And you…Stay out of my way, or-"

"Or what? You lost. That's the end of it," he said. The red wolf simply huffed and crossed his arms before walking away, making his little brother sigh in both frustration and sadness. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he apologized to the child.

"I-it's a-alright, prince."

"Khimari," he corrected, making the orange Laguz look at the blue wolf. "My name's Khimari," he introduced with a smile.

"O-okay…K-Khimari," Rikari stuttered, leading Khimari to give a little laugh.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. Now, let's go before we get left," the wolf said, making Rikari look to see that everyone was starting to depart for the return journey to the Mainal Cathedral. "Say…do you want to ride on my back? You're small enough," the prince asked the little kid, who nodded nervously.

"You would let me?"

"Well, I don't see why not," he reassured, transforming into his Laguz form and crouching down slightly, letting the orange wolf get on top of him. "Are you alright?" he checked.

"Yep!" Rikari agreed, liking this already. With a snort of laughter, Khimari padded up to the rest of the group as he carried the young wolf on his back.

XXXXX

 _At the cathedral…_

"Alright, I'm going to take you two to see the apostle, got it? Both of you have to have a cool head, and don't say anything brash," Ike told the two kids as he, along with Khimari was with the four in a room that Sanaki let them use for the three Laguz and one Beorc.

"Like you did?" Khimari said, before a quick glance from Ike told him that this wasn't the time for his smart mouth.

"Okay, we got it," the Beorc, Tormod nodded, along with Rikari. "Now, when are we going?"

"Calm down. We're leaving right now," Ike chided, going towards the door, prompting the two little kids to follow the mercenary commander. When he opened the door, he quickly took a look at his surrogate brother, who rolled his eyes.

"I won't start anything, you can leave us alone," he reassured, and Ike gave one last look before closing the door behind him, leaving Khimari alone with Maurim and Tora. For the longest time, there was silence filling the room, until it was broken by one word.

"Why?" Tora asked, making the blue wolf return to the red Laguz.

"Why what?" he returned, not understanding what he meant.

"Why…didn't you kill me?" His question was met by a snort from the wolf prince.

"Because, you were already beaten. No use killing someone who for no reason." he answered, only to be met by another bought of silence. With a silent sigh, the wolf prince simply opted to clean his tail off, and search it for fleas and the like as he used his hands to gently wipe away the dirt and dead bugs, deciding that he would clean his whole pelt later tonight. Soon enough, the three returned from talking to the apostle to find the three minding their own business.

"Maurim!" Tormod called loudly while going over to the tiger, who took on a concerned look.

"Little one…How was it? Were you treated roughly? Did they attempt to punish you?" he fired, worried about what would happen to the two while they were away.

"No, they didn't do anything. And the apostle, who I thought would be some mean old hag, turned out to be just a kid. Really, she's even shorter than I am!" he exclaimed, before he was shushed by the paranoid tiger.

"Little one!" he hissed. "You must lower your voice. And watch your tongue!" he reprimanded.

"Rest easy, Maurim. The apostle doesn't have any ears in this room," Ike reassured, allowing the green tiger to breathe a sigh of relief.

"So, what happened?" Khimari asked his surrogate brother.

"The day after tomorrow, we're going to investigate a manor from-"

"Let me guess: Duke Oliver?" he interrupted, gaining surprised looks from the three present at the meeting.

"How…Did you know?" Tormod questioned, the wolf giving a growl at the question.

"I never trusted that fat human, or any of those senator people for that matter. If I could've, I would have been carved his insides out," he snarled, shocking the four at the sudden aggressive statement said by the wolf prince.

"Hold on, we're just to search his place near Serenes Forest. Unless we find proof and he doesn't listen, you're not attacking anyone," Ike returned. "I know that he's guilty of something, but you need to control yourself until things go south."

"I'll…do my best. I know that I can control myself now, so you don't need to worry about me," he reassured, gaining a raised eyebrow from the red wolf, though Tora didn't say anything about it, for now that is. "Well, I guess I'll have to tell everyone tomorrow, seeing as it's nearly past sunset. At least we get a day off tomorrow, that's pretty lucky for me," he continued optimistically.

"Lucky?" Ike echoed. "Why would it be lucky?"

"Oh, you don't know? Aw well…" Khimari shrugged, somewhat somberly as he hung his head back, making Ike wonder what he did wrong. Getting up, the Laguz lightly stretched for a second before he left the room, much to the three's confusion.

"What was that about?" Rikari asked, finished with a side-conversation that he had with his older brother.

"I'm…not too sure myself," Ike admitted. "I guess I'll just ask him tomorrow. But anyways, you all rest here for tonight."

"Aww, can we look around?" the orange Laguz asked.

"No, we can't look around unless the apostle says we can," Maurim replied, making Ike curious about something.

"For a Laguz, you seem to know more about court etiquette here than Tormod, or anyone, really," Ike noted, making the mage's eyes widen quickly.

"Oh, no…" he murmured as Maurim moved to open his mouth.

"It is nothing, little one," he eased, before going back to Ike. "Ike, the reason I am familiar with the customs of the Begnion nobles is…because I was once a slave," he revealed, making the mercenary's eyes wide. "For generations, my family served…as slaves to one house. They were wealthy and powerful, all of them senators. As a child, I was taught never to question my station as a slave. From the day I was born, the most grueling physical labor was as natural as breathing. I knew…nothing else. To make sure that we were liked by our masters, we were drilled in the etiquette of polite society until it became second nature. As slaves…we did what we could do to live as long as we could. The most important priority was to stay in the good graces of our masters. If we displeased them, we were punished. If we were lucky, we were beaten, but if we were unlucky…"

"Maurim, that's enough!" Tormod yelled, nearly on the verge of crying.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, before returning his attention to the mercenary commander. "Lord Ike…If a former slave like myself is present, everyone will judge, scorn, and look down on you. I ask you…to take care of something for me," he said, before giving a small glance towards Tormod. "Can you take care of the others?" he requested, making the Beorc stand up in protest.

"Why would you even say that? You were born a Laguz slave, and you weren't allowed to be free. That's not right at all! That's why we PROMISED each other that we'd change all of it! Laguz would live like Beorc, have homes and their own lives. Their families would be together in freedom, without worrying about being beaten! That's we dreamed of…"

"That's the dream of us former Laguz slaves. We don't need the help of another Beorc like you," Maurim replied, coming off harsher than he intended. Tormod looked at the tiger in shock, while he looked like he was about to cry.

"What?" he whispered, before running outside of the room, crying.

"Tormod!" Rikari yelled, also leaving the room to comfort his friend.

"Little one…"

"Is it really…that much of a concern?" Ike asked.

"Huh?"

"Since we've been here in Begnion, it's something that's been bothering me. If you're born into a noble house, you're a noble. If you're born a slave, then you're a slave. Is a person's worth really decided at the time of their birth? I…I just can't understand how that passes for normal," he admitted, before Tora let out a scoff.

"That doesn't sound like what someone working for the Crimean princess would say," he said, breaking his silence. "A princess is a princess because they're born in a royal family, right?"

"…You're right about that," he agreed. "Elincia…she's a princess. I don't think we've treated her any differently than any other employer we've had, but…"he trailed off, before giving a dry laugh. "We've called her "princess" the entire time, but we've never actually considered what it meant."

"From what I've seen, you've been blessed. You were born a Beorc and raised in a country with lenient social structures," Maurim observed. "That's a life one could envy."

"Hmm…It's hard…No matter how much I try, I can never fully understand your pain. But listen; I didn't treat Elincia any differently after I learned of her heritage. I'm not going to think of you or treat you different because you were a slave. You're just you. I can think of it that way if I want, right?" Ike took the silence to continue his little speech. "Maurim, there's nothing anyone can do about your past, or the burdens that you may have. I'll admit that I don't know everything that's going on, but you shouldn't be trying to push Tormod away. He's dedicated to you, and his choice to follow you is his own personal freedom."

The blue-haired mercenary's word struck Maurim's head with a realization that he was right. All the Beorc child wanted to do was help them, but he had pushed him away, and denied the kid's freedom of decision. "I see now…I'll go fi-"

He was interrupted by a door opening, revealing Rikari as well as Khimari, who was holding a sleeping Tormod in his arms. "They ran outside, and they nearly got caught by the guards," he sighed, bringing the Beorc inside and carefully laying him on the bed.

"…Thank you. He looks so…peaceful," Maurim saw, leading to a sincere smile from Khimari, one that Ike only sees when he's in his "motherly phase," as he would put it.

"Kids are always peaceful, no matter what they're going through," he returned.

"Ike…" Maurim called, facing the commander. "I th…no…never mind. May our friendship be true and enduring," he said, a small smirk on his face.

"I share your feeling. Our troop will have you for as long as you wish," he agreed, before walking toward the door. Opening it, him and Khimari both left, and started to walk towards their own room. "Khimari, how did you get him to sleep?" he asked, knowing that the mage was crying his eyes out when he left.

"A shoulder and some comfort goes a long way, Ike," he replied, looking at the ground with his two eyes in what seemed like longing, though it disappeared as soon as it came. Raising his arms, the wolf yawned as the two went into their room. Transforming as usual, the wolf jumped on his bed and did his three circles before laying down with a huff.

"Khimari?" he called, only to be answered by silence. Sighing, he just decided to go to sleep for tonight.

XXXXX

" _Hi…Khi…m…ri,_ " a child-voice whispered in the wolf's ear, startling him and making his neck fur rise as he looked around the room. His fur started to go down as he realized that there was nobody in the room besides Ike, who was still snoring loudly. Breathing loudly through his nose, he rose on his paws and shook his body for a second, before silently jumping off of the bed. Going to the door, he jumped on his hind paws, while gently twisting the door handle with his jaws until he heard a _click_. Quietly opening the door, Khimari stuck his head out into the hallway to check for guards, and left the room after seeing that the coast was clear.

Jumping back up and using the wall for support, the wolf prince closed the door once again with his jaws before walking through the hall on his way outside the palace. Going to the garden, he went to the very back, to the entrance of the apostle's home, and went through a small patch of grass to get outside without any guards seeing him. After making sure that he wasn't seen or followed, he left to go somewhere where he could have a nice little hunt …

XXXXX

Waking up as the sun's rays hit his face, Ike wasn't surprised to see that the wolf was gone from the room, and didn't make too much of a fuss about it. Getting ready for the day, the commander didn't take too much time in that regard, and opted for checking on the four that they brought yesterday, as well as visiting Soren and talking with the missing Laguz, just to make sure that the two were fine. Ever since that time in Gallia, he was watching his surrogate brother much more to make sure that he was fine, but that proved to be incredibly difficult considering that he was incredibly secretive about himself when it came to himself. Every time Ike thought that something was wrong, the wolf either ignored it or simply said "nothing," and that served to only make helping him even more strenuous.

Leaving his room, he went straight down to the room where the three Laguz were, along with the Beorc that were found in the desert. Knocking on the door, he waited until he heard a gruff voice say "come in." Opening the door, he saw that the only one in the room was Tora, who was sitting alone on a bed.

"Hey…where's everyone else?" he asked.

"I don't know; they just left earlier," he replied somewhat dismissively, as if expecting Ike to simply shrug and leave.

"How are you doing?" he asked, only to receive a snort from the wolf.

"I'm surrounded by humans, how do you think I'm doing?" he spat.

"We aren't here to give you trouble, we just came to help," Ike tried to soothe, but apparently it fell on deaf ears as Tora huffed again.

"Don't give me that. That's how all humans are, saying "We just want to help," or "We won't hurt you" when they're just looking for the right time to stab you in the back. They call us the monsters, but they murder us every day and justify it with some lie!" he seethed, before giving a small laugh of anger.

"Well, you don't have to like me, but at least try to get to know us before you judge," Ike tried to play off, before he decided to risk treading into some very deep water. "Another thing, what's making you so mad with Khimari?" he prodded, receiving a growl in return.

"Why do you mention that…demon to me?"

"Because, he's my brother and in order for you to stay, you have to at the very least have to have a workable relationship," he said, making the Laguz's eyes go wide at the news that it was his brother. "No, he's not my real brother," he corrected.

"Then what happened? You were raised by Laguz?" he asked, Ike shaking his head.

"The opposite-Khimari got separated from his mother and ended up with us. When I first saw him, he was in a coma, and my parents had to help him get back to health," the swordsman revealed.

"So, he's a human lover…" he concluded, and was very confused when Ike shook his head in disagreement once again.

"Once again, you got that wrong. Khimari doesn't exactly trust us Beorc, but the only reason he doesn't openly admit it is because he doesn't like offending us. I could count all of the Beorc he _truly_ trusts with his life with on one hand-no matter what he says, and that's including everyone he's known his whole life, or at the very least a long time," the mercenary revealed, his mind going back to the time in Port Toha when he made up an excuse for staying outside the town. "In fact, he only considered me one of those people just a few years ago, after we knew each other for a pretty long time, and we've known each other since we were seven."

"Hm…Then what was he talking about yesterday?" Tora interrogated, trying to find out more about the wolf prince. "When he was talking about that whole "control myself" stuff?" That was followed by a sigh from Ike.

"Ever since Khimari joined our family, we found that sometimes, when he was really worked up, or angered by something, he would completely lose his mind and attack everything-and everyone in sight. It never happened often, but when it did, my father or Titania were the only ones who could calm him down enough, and sometimes he had to be…held back. Like one time back in Crimea, he nearly jumped at a bandit in a bout of anger when my sister and another member got kidnapped, and then the day before we met you guys, he lost control again when we ran into a man with a caravan who talked about selling him for money," he mentioned, Mordecai telling him the details of that day so he could understand what occurred.

"And then what?" the Laguz prodded, making Ike make a curious face. "After the second time? What happened? Did…Khimari get held back that time, or did he "spare" the guy out of good faith?" he sneered, wondering what the Laguz prince did, thinking that he was too weak to actually kill someone.

"…I don't know exactly what went down in the fight, but the end result was the man in a puddle of blood with holes in his arm and his spine sticking out of his neck," he described, making the red wolf grimace at what must have been a gruesome sight.

"That's…violent," he simply said, his perception of the wolf slightly changing through the conversation, though he was still bitter over the loss he suffered. "Why…are you telling me all this?"

"Because, Khimari hides behind a mask sometimes when it comes to what he's feeling, and it can be very hard to crack it-heck, I've just started to take it off him after ten years. All I'm saying is, wait before you judge him, or else you'll get completely taken off guard," Ike wisely warned, before exiting the room and leaving the wolf to his own devices. Sighing, he was on his way to see Soren before Mist walked up to him, with a book in her hand.

"Hey, Ike, do you know where Khimari is?" she asked.

"No, he was gone when I woke up," he answered, leading to a huff from his little sister.

"Well, I heard from Oscar that he was with Nephenee, but I have no idea WHERE he is! How am I supposed to give him a gift if I don't know where he is?" she ranted, making Ike confused.

"Gift? What are you talking about?" he asked, making her look at him for a second before slapping her forehead in exasperation.

"Oh, Ike don't tell me you forgot!" she exclaimed, confusing the mercenary even more. "Oh, for Ashera's sake, Ike, what's the date?" she asked, making him think for a second.

"Today's…October fourteenth, right?" he said, Mist nodding.

"Anndd…" she prodded, sending Ike right back into his mental cloud of confusion, making her sigh in frustration. "Oh, Ike, you can't be this slow! It's Khimari's birthday!" she shouted to him, making him blink his eyes until the realization hit him…It _was_ the wolf's birthday, and he'd completely forgot. "Ugh, how could you forget? You remember every year before now, and all of a sudden, this?" she chastised, before leaving the scene.

"That explains why…" Ike murmured, wondering why Khimari was so downtrodden yesterday when Ike asked why the day off was lucky. "Oh goddess, what did I get myself into?" he asked himself as he saw that he forgot his best friend's birthday. Now he had to go and find the wolf and apologize for forgetting it, and wish him a happy birthday-Khimari never cared too much about birthday presents, simply remembering the day was enough for him, but he forgot that in all of the mess they've been getting into recently. Going on a search for the wolf, the first place he went was to ask Brom, who was Nephenee's roommate. Going in the room, he saw the country man sitting with a brown bag in his hands. "Hey, Brom," he greeted.

"Well, hey there, Ike! How's it goin'?" he returned.

"I'm doing fine, but do you know where Khimari is?" he asked, receiving a shake of the knight's head.

"Sorry, young 'un, but Khimari came 'round and then he n' Nephenee went to go somewhere. I swear, seein' them two lovebirds just melts mah ol' heart," he said, the man's words making Ike give a small smile.

"Well, if you see him, can you say that I was looking for him?" he requested.

"Well, sure!" Brom agreed, and Ike closed the door before thinking about where to look next.

"If I were Khimari, where would I be…" he said aloud to himself. Thinking hard about this, he came up with the wolf either being in the garden, in another room with someone, or not in the cathedral at all. He scratched the last one off of the list, knowing that while Khimari would definitely sneak out, he wouldn't bring Nephenee into any sort of danger, or chance of getting caught by the guard. That left other rooms and the gardens, but knowing the wolf, he'd get bored too easily to be cooped up in some room, which left only the garden.

Going through the cathedral halls, he looked in the garden, and sure enough, Khimari was laying down with Nephenee. Quickly going over to the wolf, he tried to make it as casual as possible. "Hey, Ike!" Khimari greeted, while Nephenee gave her own little wave.

"Hey, you two…" he said, before quickly scrambling how to word it, deciding to simply wing it. "Happy birthday, Khimari," he congratulated, a big smile coming onto the Laguz's face.

"Mist _did_ tell you!" he shouted, completely beclouding Ike. "I know it sounds confusing, but with all of this mess going on, I knew you'd probably forget. And then, Mist for some reason always tells you when you forget something, so it's a closed loop!" he explained, which actually made a lot of sense, in a…different way. "What, did you think that I'd be angry and refuse to talk to you?"he asked rhetorically.

"Well…yeah."

"Oh, Ike…Thank you, but remember that forgiving is usually my middle name!" Khimari said, before the green-haired swordsman from yesterday entered his eye sight, and was…staring at him?

"Um…Who are you?" he questioned. "How long have you been a member of our troop?"

"I joined when you all had your battle in the sands. My name is Stefan," he introduced, walking up to the three. "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier."

"I'm Ike, and that's Khimari and Nephenee," Ike returned, pointing to the two as he said their respective names, though the wolf's eyes were widened as he looked at the man, who laughed at the reaction that he received.

"You're one of the sharp ones, eh?" he rhetorically said. "I must say, that was pretty fast, prince," he complimented.

"Don't worry; I'm not one to judge other people because of their ancestry," the wolf simply returned, confusing Ike and Nephenee, but letting Stefan adopt a small smirk of slight happiness on his face.

"Not to be rude, but why are you here?" Ike interrogated, bringing the conversation back to him.

"In part because I'm curious. But mostly, it was the guiding hand of fate that led me to you," he answered, only serving to confuse the three even more.

"…Huh?"

"In the desert, I watched the dance of your sword. You have a unique style, but it is incomplete, filled with hesitation. You have recently lost your teacher, no?" he deduced, surprising the brothers at how he figured that out so easily after seeing Ike fight just one time.

"…"

"Luckily, you have quite the strong foundation," the swordmaster judged, looking at Ike. "Which is why I can be of service. Your technique…How powerful will it be when perfected? That, I would like to know."

"Who…are you?" he asked again, this time the question taking on a different meaning.

"You can learn the dance of blades without knowing my history, can you not?" he avoided. "What say you? Let your heart decide…"

"I…understand," Ike replied after a few moments. "If you can help me perfect my technique, then I will gladly accept the invitation to learn from you," he accepted.

"Then, prepare yourself!" he proclaimed, taking out his sword, prompting Ike to take out his as well. "Come, and attack me with everything you have," Stefan said, and Ike did. As Khimari watched the two fight, he couldn't help but feel a hunger to fight the green-haired swordsman when he saw the display. The way his sword sliced through the air with such ease was definitely awe-inspiring.

"Hey, Khimari!" a voice called, bringing the wolf's attention away from the fight to see Mist coming towards him. "Where have you been?" she huffed. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Well, after I got back to here-"

"Got back? You left the palace?" she interrupted, not knowing they could do that.

"Well…more like snuck out the palace, but your word sounds better," he admitted, earning a raised eyebrow from the brown-haired girl. "Anyways, after I got back here, I went over to Nephenee's room, then I played with Tormod and Rikari for a while, and then I went back to Nephee's room after I talked with Soren and Nasir," he quickly summed up.

"No wonder I couldn't find you; I never thought to look for you with Nasir!" she said, before holding out the book in her hand. "Happy birthday!" she congratulated, and the wolf lightly grabbed it with his jaws and laid it down on the ground as he examined the cover.

"Thank you, Mist, but-"

"I know, and I don't care. If it's your birthday, you're getting a present from me," she rebutted, making the wolf sigh in happiness, before giving a growling chuckle. "Hey, who's that with Ike?" she asked, looking at Stefan who was helping Ike out with his sword-training.

"Oh, that's Stefan. He joined yesterday, and now he's teaching Ike about the sword," he quickly explained.

"Do you…think he'd help me too?" Mist asked, as the wolf knew that Ike was helping her learn how to use a sword.

"I think that he would, if you asked him."

"Hmm…I guess so…Well, I have to go check on Soren now. Have you talked to him? He's been rather…private as of late," she said.

"I talked to him earlier, and he seemed…somewhat better, but still not regular Soren," the wolf revealed.

"Okay. I'll be going off now-and Nephenee, meet me in my room a little later!" she called, before going away.

"Meet me in my room later?" he echoed, bringing a sigh from the mint-haired girl. "What's that all about?"

"It's…a girl thing."

"Like…"

"I can't tell ya. I've been sworn to secrecy," she said, shifting uncomfortably as she knew that Khimari would find out one way or another.

"…Do you talk about us?" he suddenly asked, bringing a confused look to her face. "Boys," he explained.

"…I can't say," she stubbornly avoided, making Khimari give it up for the time being.

"Okay, that's something I know I'm not getting out of anyone," he decided, dropping the topic as he stared back at Ike and Stefan practicing swordplay.

"Are…you alright?" Nephenee asked, snapping the wolf out of his trance. "You've been starin' at that guy for a while."

"Oh, it's…nothing," he said, shaking his head. "I just…would love to fight him."

"Well, maybe he wants ta fight ya too," she remarked, drawing a curious look from the wolf. "When ya fought that other wolf, he looked mighty interested in ya."

"Wait, everyone saw it?"

"…You didn't notice a giant crowd on the sidelines?" Nephenee deadpanned, making Khimari sheepishly lick his paw. "I'll tell ya, everyone was a lil' shocked at ya afterwards, with all the prince stuff, and with ya beatin' the other guy like that," she revealed.

"Oh…So everyone knows who I am…"

"Yep, but no one's treatin' ya any different. Ta be honest, everyone's lookin' up to ya, after what you did," she said, making the wolf look on in surprise.

"Really?" he asked, getting a nod of confirmation. "Wow…that's…not what I expected, but then again, who's gonna take _me_ seriously?" he joked.

"Oh, ya big furball…You've got a point," she laughed, making the wolf huff.

"Hey…I'm _not_ a furball. I'm a fluffy, loveable Laguz that can rip your spine out your back!" he cheerfully corrected, leading Nephenee to take a sigh of exasperation.

"Okay…Maybe leave that part out next time…" she said before laughing a little. Simply rolling his eyes, the prince laid his head on his girlfriend's lap, and licked her hand for a second.

"I'm so booored!" he complained, before purring slightly as Nephenee scratched his chin. "I can't wait until tomorrow," he said.

"What, you mean goin' to that senator's house?"

"No, I mean ripping a senator to shreds!" he happily decreed.

"…Ya know, the way you say that is a little scary," the country girl noted, making Khimari huff loudly through his nose.

"I tend to get…violent when I'm too bored…That's why I do pranks; to avoid things like what I just said," he explained, as a bright blue light surrounded him, much to Nephenee's surprise. A few seconds later, Khimari was once again in his Beorc form.

"Why did you go back?"

"I honestly don't know…I guess I just feel like being in my h-Beorc form right now," he said, quickly fixing his sentence before that word slipped out. Thankfully, Nephenee seemed to not notice it. 'Bad Khimari; don't say that out loud,' he mentally scolded himself as he got up and started stretching for a quick second before turning back to Nephenee, getting his new book as well. "Well, don't you have to go see Mist now?"

"Oh…uh, right!" she stumbled, quickly getting up along with the wolf. Walking out of said garden, the two chatted a little bit as they walked to the cleric's room, where the country girl would be going. "I'll…see ya later," she said as the two reached the room.

"Okay. I'll see you," he returned, the two sharing a little hug before the lance user entered the room. Sighing, the wolf wondered what he was going to do next while he walked down the hall to his and Ike's room, leaving the door open as he sat on his bed in clear boredom.

Deciding to try something out, Khimari started to do what Mist did whenever she was picking flowers, and hummed that song that she always used to do. "Hmm…" he hummed, looking around as he sang the song.

" _L…an?_ " that voice once again came in his head, making the wolf stop what he was doing and look around for a second before sighing.

'Who…are you?' he thought, looking down as he wondered about who was the owner of that voice. Hearing a footstep, he looked to the doorway to see Tora standing there. Sighing, he rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm not going to-"

"I'm not here to fight," he interrupted, gaining a raised eyebrow. "Just to talk. Alone." Closing the door, he looked at the prince, before scoffing. "Who are you?"

"…What do you mean? You know my name," he responded.

" _Who_ are you?" he repeated, stressing the "who" much more. "You…are different. I don't understand you."

"That seems to be a recurring theme when it comes to me," Khimari joked. "What do you want to know?"

"Why are you so nice?" he came out, completely confusing the blue wolf. "You spare me, you play with the two kids, it's… _weird._ "

"Well, what's wrong with being nice? There's no point in making more enemies when there's already more than enough waiting to hang you on their walls," Khimari answered, shrugging at the same time.

"But…you don't trust humans," he admitted, the wolf raising an eyebrow at the accusation.

"And?" he shrugged again, looking somewhat bored.

"Wait…you don't deny it?" he asked, a little baffled.

"No, I don't. Ever since I ended up here from Hatari, humans here have always had a bad taste in my mouth. But that doesn't mean I have to shun every one of them; exceptions are an expectation of every rule."

"But…you live with them…You put your life on the line for-"

"First things first, I'd _never_ put my life on the line for some human, especially one I don't even know _or_ trust, but…Beorc are a different story," he said, beclouding the red Laguz.

"What? They're the same thing…"

"No they aren't. Humans are despicable things, caring for no one but themselves and how they can make them and only themselves better, while leaving others to suffer. _Those_ are what I hate the most, because if you try to look for anything positive, you just find that they're twisted and evil in every form of the word."

"…" Tora was silent as he listened to the wolf prince give his interpretation of their counterpart species. He was already starting to see Khimari in a different light after what Ike told him, and now he was seeing that…maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

"Though…Beorc are those that can admit their wrongs, and try to get better. They may have a bad streak, but the point is, they can be reasoned with, and won't hate for no reason at all. Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference, because fear clouds people's judgment, turning them into something that they're not," he explained, Tora nodding at the wolf's words.

"I…understand." Khimari seemed to like that, and gave a wide smile at the two words said by his fellow wolf.

"Good, now, you know enough about me, but who are _you_?" he returned.

"I…" he stopped, not knowing where to begin.

"Well, how about we make this easier on you. What do you have against my mom?" he specified.

"My parents told me that they were abandoned by her and the rest of the wolves after they were attacked by Begnion soldiers on their journey," he revealed.

"And where are they now?"

"They're dead…they were killed by Begnion soldiers."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Khimari said, before a growl emanated from Tora's throat.

"I don't need pity from you," he spat.

"It's not pity; it's sympathy. There's a difference," the prince shot back. "Besides that, tell me about Rikari."

"He's my little brother, what else do you want to know?"

"I've seen you talk to him. You're pretty strict, aren't you?" the wolf laughed. "Say, you could definitely lighten up more. Being so serious all the time isn't really good for you."

"…How could you say that?" he questioned. "My parents are dead, Rikari's all I have left, and you're telling me to _lighten up_?" he ranted in fury. "How dare you!? It's your mother's fault I'm in this mess!"

"…Hm…maybe…" Khimari calmly muttered, closing his eyes as he transformed into his wolf form. Tensing up, Tora started his own transformation.

"Stop," the wolf ordered, and the red wolf halted his transformation, seeing that the prince meant him no harm. Coming up to him, Khimari bowed his head, and flattened his ears to Tora. "For everything that has happened to you; I'm sorry. I can't speak for any actions taken by my mom or the rest of my tribe, but as a person I can ask for forgiveness for forcing a bad life on you," he apologized, with Tora staring at the wolf with shock written all over his expression.

"W-what are you doing? You're the prince! You shouldn't bow to-"

"I'm not doing this for myself. This is not about who is or should be prince; it's about you getting a rightful apology," Khimari sincerely interrupted.

"But…" the red wolf started, before looking at the blue wolf in wonder. He went past a Laguz's greatest treasure; pride, and groveled for his forgiveness though nothing such like that was warranted in the first place. 'He didn't do anything to me…' Tora thought, knowing that none of the action were a thought of his own, but here he was, apologizing. "…Prince…Get up. I…forgive you," he accepted, Khimari rising as he transformed back into his Beorc form.

"My name's Khimari, not prince," he retorted, a small smile on his face.

"…You're pretty smart, but then again, how old are you?" Tora asked, gaining another laugh from the wolf.

"How old do you think I am?" he asked, curious to see what answer he would receive.

"Hm…Maybe in your mid-twenties…maybe thirty at the latest," he hypothesized, leading to a snort from the prince.

"I hope I don't look _that_ old!" Khimari slightly yelled. "I'm only eighteen, ya know," he revealed, making Tora's eyes go wide with surprise.

"W-what? But…you're younger than I am!"

"Really? That seems about right," Khimari said, drawing a curious look from the other wolf. "Well, see, you said that you were born before the migration, but I was born in Hatari, _after_ the journey," he explained, Tora nodding in agreement with the wolf. "But…this place is boring…"

"I know…You've only said it every hour or so."

"You were listening to me?"

"I was…interested," Tora said.

"Wanna spar?" Khimari offered. "Ya know, only for fun, and it keeps us sharp."

"…Why not?" Tora reluctantly agreed, trying not to jump to any conclusions. With that, the two left to go back to the garden, where Ike and Stefan were still there, though it looked like they were done, as Rhys just finished healing some of their cuts.

"Hey, you guys."

"Hi, Khimari. What's Tora…"

"It's a long story," he said, making Ike nod in understanding. "So, are you two finished?" the wolf asked.

"Yes, prince, we are done for today," the green-haired swordmaster interjected.

"My name's Khimari," he simply said again, giving Stefan another chance to smirk.

"What are you two doing here?" Rhys asked. "I thought that you left with Nephenee."

"They had a girl meeting," the wolf replied, rolling his eyes. "Led by the mighty Mist herself."

"Oh, boy…What's she up to, now?" Ike sighed.

"I don't know…But anyways, we were gonna have a little spar. You two wanna join?" he offered, before turning to Rhys, who nodded at the silent question of healing afterwards.

"Why not?"

"You and Tora are just about at the same level, so you two can learn from each other," Khimari observed. "But…"

"You need someone who can compete with you, yes?" Stefan interjected, though both Tora and Ike huffed at the "compete with" part. "I believe that I can fill that role…You did pique my interest the other day," he added, taking out his sword. "Let's see if your jaws can match my blade."

"Let's see," Khimari said, transforming into a Laguz as the other three took to the sidelines. For a second, the two stared at each other, before they rushed to each other at the same time, claw clashing with sword. In just a few seconds, Stefan's sword quickly rebounded towards the wolf, whose claws blocked the blow while he used the momentum to attack the man's arm, though his blow was avoided as he flipped away from the swordmaster. "This is fun, but maybe we can do…more," the wolf offered, finally glad that he found someone who he could let loose against in a non life or death situation.

"I agree," the desert hermit said, before a dull green burst of light emanated from him, and he rushed at Khimari with a speed that easily matched his own, with the wolf barely avoiding the first blow. However, the second blow found its mark, as the man's blade cut the wolf's shoulder, and the third found its mark on his side as well. Jumping back, he avoided the swordmaster's fourth slash and did a direct clash with the fifth, before deciding that it was his turn to take the offensive.

Feinting to the left, the wolf threw a strike that met with the swordsman's sword, and flipped forward, fangs bared. Quickly acting, Stefan impeded Khimari's jaws with his sword, though the downside of that was that he was now fair game for the prince's claws. Clawing forward, the wolf prince scratched the man's arm, before getting two more attacks on his shoulder and upper back, somersaulting away as the three puffs appeared like earlier. Looking for another blind spot, the wolf shot forward and sped behind the swordmaster, and though he couldn't get a better blow, the wolf managed to scratch Stefan's arm rather deeply, making the other man wince in pain for the first time in the battle as his wounds started to heal themselves.

"Stop. We have given each other a good taste of the other's ability," Stefan decreed, and while the wolf wished that they could continue, it would get quite dangerous to actually have a full-on battle. "You are a worthy opponent, prince," he complimented, and this time, Khimari let the name thing slide.

"As are you," he returned, licking some of his leftover scratches as Rhys tended to the swordmaster. "You two can have the floor now," he mentioned to Ike and Tora, who nodded as they began a spar. Interestingly enough, Ike was clearly much better in Khimari's eyes, and he could only wonder how the Branded man right next to him did all of that in such a short period of time. Stefan also looked in approval of the mercenary commander, though he said nothing as the Beorc and Laguz fought each other.

Soon enough, Tora couldn't stay in his Laguz form any longer, and had to admit defeat as Ike was armed, and all he had was his hands. "I…lost again," he huffed.

Hey, don't feel bad about it; not everyone can be transformed for that long," Khimari eased, making the red wolf look at him.

"Really? And what's the longest you've stayed in your state?" he dryly asked.

"Hmmm…About…seven months?" he pulled back, making the other wolf look at the prince with a blank look, that pretty much needed an explanation to fill the expression. "I didn't feel like transforming for a while, and at the time…I had…to be a…You know what, I don't think I want to tell that story," he rejected. He was not proud of that time in his life, and as a Laguz, he still had to have some remnants of pride for himself. Ike, knowing what Khimari was talking about, started to snicker before receiving a death glare from said wolf. "Well…I think we'd better get ready for tomorrow; I can't wait until I make a sculpture out of that senator!" he exclaimed, causing the Beorc to roll his eyes.

If the wolf's words were anything to go by, tomorrow won't be dull at all…

XXXXX

A/N: Ugh…I hate this chapter…It's so rushed, but for some reason my head was totally malfunctioning! I know for a FACT that the next chapter will be better, because I have chapters 16-22 (roughly) planned out, as well as the specific events in my trusty pocket-sized notepad! (That was the best present ever! Thanks, number 1!) But besides that, I have to put Khimari's mastery ability on here…and note, this is for _both_ Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, (Why am I gonna hide something you already know I'm gonna do? This thing is going all the way) So now…Here's the ability. (Note: Before you go about with the rules of broken: I'd like to kindly remind you about the Black Knight's Eclipse doing an automatic 270 damage upon activation with Alondite…As well as Volke's lethality…Case closed)

Shred: Unique to Khimari only. Four attacks, first three are done with halved strength, but fourth attack quadruples strength and heals user for half of original strength stat (Wow, that's complicated, ain't it? It's basically a mix of Rend, Astra, and Sol…)

Now that that's over, someone please say how crappy this chapter was, I will NOT be offended, and see you next time! :P


	16. The Song of Revenge

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Hey y'all, and here's the next chapter to keep your hungry minds satisfied! (Oh…Um… An extra note…Does anyone know how to write on downloaded pdf junk? It's for school, but I'm too lazy to Google it :P) ((If you know, plz pm/review me, I don't need my first grade to be an F))

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done…_

"...One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…ei-"

"Can you stop that!?" Ike sleepily shouted, bringing Khimari out of his trance. "It's the middle of the night…"

"I'm sorry; this counting sheep crap isn't working…" he replied, getting up and shaking his body as the mercenary commander rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Well, keep it down, would ya? I know you're excited, but some people actually do a thing called sleep."

"Oh my gosh, you're unbearable! I don't want to talk to you anymore!" Khimari suddenly huffed, a little bit too child-like for Ike's taste, as he got something from under his bed and jumped back on it.

"What are you…doing?" he yawned. All he received was silence as the wolf turned away from him, facing the wall. "Khim-"

"Oh, shush you! I thought you needed _sleep_ _,_ " he bit back, making Ike even more fed up at the moment.

"What in the wor-"

"Are you gonna quiz me all night or get your beauty sleep?" he interrupted once again, making Ike groan as he gave up any attempts at reasoning with the wolf right now. Turning back over, the mercenary commander found it easy to fall asleep, while the wolf simply read the book that he had been reading for a while. 'These flesh beings are still weird…' he oddly thought, turning the page with his paw as a weird sensation started to make him feel kind of…different. Slightly shaking his head, he started to feel dizzy, and decided that he should try and get rid of it. Quietly jumping off the bed, as not to disturb Ike, Khimari went over to the door to try and sneak out again until a giant wave of pain hit him from nowhere.

Panting slightly, the wolf started shivering, and found that he could barely move at all. Trying to get back to the bed, he slowly moved towards it, but when he was about to jump back on, he suddenly saw nothing but darkness as his legs gave out and he hit the ground with a silent thump.

XXXXX

Groaning, Ike found himself waking up feeling much better, and was ready to get ready for their mission in a few hours. Stretching a little bit, the Beorc yawned as he moved his legs out of the bed and onto the side facing the window. "Good…morning, Khimari," he said groggily, though all he received was silence, meaning that the wolf snuck out earlier…but it was past sunrise, and Khimari would have been returned to the room. Looking towards the wolf's bed, he immediately jumped when he saw his surrogate brother sprawled across the floor, in Beorc form. "Khimari!" he called, sleep leaving him as he rushed over to the Laguz's unmoving form, and released a sigh of relief when he saw that Khimari was still breathing. Going to get Mist or Rhys, Ike was about to leave the room until he heard the wolf start to stir.

"Nnn…" he moaned, his hand going to his head as the wolf slowly assumed a sitting position on the floor. Returning to Khimari's side, Ike crouched down as the Laguz started to shake his head to get rid of the cobwebs.

"Khimari, are you alright?" he asked the Laguz.

"What…happened?" he questioned Ike, before leaning on his bedside as his sense of balance slowly returned to him.

"I don't know…You were acting strange last night, and-"

"Ike…" Khimari called, interrupting the explanation with a puzzled look on his face. "I was never up last night…" he mentioned, greatly confusing the Beorc who could've swore that he was talking to the wolf in the dead of the night.

"But…I was talking to you," he repeated, as a few memories started to rush to Khimari's head.

"Oh…right…I was counting sheep…and you told me to cut it out…" he remembered.

"And then?" Ike asked, knowing that afterwards was when he was starting to act weird.

"I…don't remember. I thought…I went to sleep when you said "some people sleep," or something like that," he recalled, though clearly it wasn't the case.

"…You went to sleep after I did," Ike informed, only serving to confuse the two brothers even more. "We can worry about that later," he decided. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'm fine…" he off-handedly answered, staring at what was seemingly nothing.

"That doesn't look very convincing…" Ike muttered, before putting the wolf's arm over his shoulder as he supported his brother. "I'm taking you to Mist," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument as the two left the room and went down the hallway, the wolf slightly stumbling as they made the small trip to Mist and Titania's room. Knocking on the door, Ike waited for a second until the deputy commander answered it.

"Good mor-What happened to Khimari?" she asked, seeing him being held up by Ike.

"I don't know. Is Mist up?"

"Yes, she is. Come on in," Titania offered, opening the door wider so the two could enter. Mist, who was looking at her medallion, looked up at the two and gasped, putting the bronze keepsake on her pillow as she came towards the two.

"What happened to him?"

"I found him knocked out a while ago, and now he's feeling a bit funny in the head," Ike answered, which prompted a snort from the wolf.

"I told you…I'm f-" he started before he nearly fell to the ground, barely being caught by Ike and Titania.

"Khimari!"

"Unn…" he groaned weakly, though he still tried to stand by himself and put up a front like he was okay.

"Get him on the bed," Mist told the two, who complied with what she said and laid the Laguz on the cleric's bed. Stepping back, Ike and Titania watched as Mist checked over Khimari for any sign of something. After a few minutes, she sighed in clear frustration. "I don't get it…He has no fever, his breathing's a little off, but for the most part normal, and there's no signs of sickness…But he's still like…that," she said after doing everything Rhys taught her to do, mystified at what could be wrong with her big brother.

 _"_ Titania, get Rhys," Ike ordered, the paladin nodding before leaving the room. Looking back at the wolf, they stared with worry as Khimari didn't move an inch, or make any sound besides a pained groan.

"Will…he be alright?" Mist asked, her hands slightly shaking. Ike simply stayed silent, not taking his eyes of the Laguz. Just then, a thought came to her head; going to her bed, she reached over to the wolf and took out her medallion from beside him. Unwrapping the cloth, the bronze object was revealed, a soft blue aura surrounding it.

"What…"

"It always reacted to Khimari," she explained, though Ike didn't tell her he already knew. "This is the only other thing I can think of; it has to work!" Putting the medallion in the wolf's hand, Mist stepped back as the blue light started to engulf the wolf prince, like fire. After a moment, Khimari started to move his head, and though it was slight, it was an improvement. A few minutes later, and the aura around the wolf retreated into the medallion, which glowed brightly for a moment before completely disappearing, the only thing left the item itself.

As Mist took the medallion out of Khimari's hand, Titania returned to the room with Rhys. "How's Khimari doing?"

"Better," Mist replied. "I tried…something, and I think it worked," she continued as the priest went over to the Laguz. Over the next minute, Rhys also looked over the wolf like Mist did, and sighed with relief.

"Well…nothing's wrong with him, and if this little thing works, then we have nothing to worry about," the healer relayed, before stepping back right over the wolf. "Khimari?" he called, the only sign the wolf heard him being a twitch of his tail. "If you can hear me, can you transform?" The three others were a little worried when nothing happened, though Rhys kept a blank look on his face. About a minute later, a soft blue glow surrounded the Laguz, until the glow got brighter and Khimari's form started to change into his wolf state, letting everyone take a sigh of relief as the Laguz was curled into a tight ball, his paws tucked into his belly as his tail covered his right eye from view.

"Rhys?" Ike called. "Why'd you ask Khimari to transform?" he questioned, as Rhys gently put his hand on the wolf's stomach.

"Because," he started, "It's easier to check to see if anything's amiss in this form," he answered. "But now, all he needs is to sleep." At the look on the three's faces, Rhys gave a little sigh. "I don't know if he'll be awake by the time we have to go on the mission, and even then, he still has to be checked before we leave just in case nothing else pops up," he said to the unasked question, Ike and Titania nodding at the priest's observation of the situation.

"Let's give him some peace," Titania suggested, and no one argued with that as the four Beorc left the sleeping wolf in the room. As it would be, when they walked out of the room, Sigrun was walking down to Ike and Khimari's room, before she turned around as she heard the door close behind her. Seeing the four gathered outside the door, the Pegasus knight came over to them.

"Good morning, to you all," she greeted, and was responded to by four nods.

"And to you, too," Titania returned. "Does the apostle have a request for us?"

"Yes, Lady Titania. She wishes to give the warrant letter to Master Ike, as well as another talk with Prince Khimari," she revealed, the mercenaries sharing a look with each other. "Is something wrong?" she asked at seeing their expression.

"Khimari isn't in any condition to see the empress," Ike told her.

"Is he ill?"

"He just needs to rest a while," the mercenary commander responded, avoiding the question directly. "May I get the message for Khimari instead?"

"I see…I will ask the apostle," she responded. "Would you please wait until I return?" At Ike's nod of agreement, Sigrun gave a small bow before leaving to go inform the apostle of the events that have occurred.

"…What now?" Mist questioned as the holy guard member disappeared into the next hallway, leading Ike to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Even when he's sleeping, he gives me headaches," he muttered, before turning to the others. "Titania, could you tell the others to get ready, and Rhys, thank you. You can leave now if you want," Ike said.

"It wasn't much that I did," the priest modestly replied, before leaving along with Titania who went to inform everyone to get ready for their mission.

"I guess I'll go and check on Soren," Mist decided, before leaving her brother to go to the mage's room. Now alone, he simply waited in the hallway for Sigrun to return, while trying to pass the time doing something. Curious after a second, Ike cracked the door open to look back at Khimari, who was still asleep.

'Good…' Ike thought, before wondering if his brother was faking sleep, as he definitely did it before. After looking a little longer, Ike was about to close the door when he saw the wolf's paws move slightly, and on decided to take a closer look. Opening the door wider, he actually saw that the wolf was starting to wake up, but was still in a deep sleep, which meant that Khimari would probably be up in the next half-hour or so.

Closing the door as quietly as possible, Ike turned around to see Lethe and Mordecai coming down the hallway. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you guys be getting ready?"

"We don't exactly need to prepare…" Lethe replied, rolling her eyes as the Beorc remembered that they were Laguz. "So, we're going to some senator's mansion?"

"Yeah, and we've got to search his whole house for proof. Fun," he breathed sarcastically.

"It's definitely going to be more exciting than this…place," the cat retorted.

"Ike, why are you standing next to the door?" Mordecai asked, curious as to why he was just standing there.

"I'm waiting for someone to come here," he answered. "I have to see the apostle before we leave."

"Okay, I guess we'll just wait at the front," Lethe nodded, before a thought came to her head. "Say…Where's Khimari? Isn't he usually the one in charge of preparations?"

"Well…He's…resting up for the mission," Ike improvised, getting a raised eyebrow from the cat. "Hey, I have to make sure he's fine, or else Ranulf's gonna claw my eyes out," he sighed.

"Ranulf does not like violence," the tiger simply stated, putting Ike deeper in the hole as Lethe sighed.

"Okay, why is he sleeping in your sister's room?" she interrogated, making Ike's eyes widen in wonder of how she figured things out so fast. "You're acting strange…You're "guarding" a door, and there's no way he'd stay asleep this long unless someone knocked him out," she explained, making a lot of sense to the mercenary commander.

"Fine…He passed out this morning," he sighed. "I don't know if he was sick or something…but Rhys said that he'll be better soon.

"Well, him getting sick is something that wouldn't happen. We Laguz don't get sick all the time like you Beorc," the cat replied, which oddly came out calmer and less vicious than Ike would've thought. "Is he coming?

"It depends on when he gets up," he answered, satisfying Lethe's question. Just then, Sigrun returned to the hallway and walked up to the trio.

"The apostle is ready to see you, and in regards to your question; the apostle says that what she has to say is for Prince Khimari and only him," she relayed, Ike giving a nod, before turning to the two Gallians.

"I'll see you two later. Make sure you're prepared," he said as a reflex, though the felines only nodded as he went with Sigrun to see the apostle. Walking the hallway once again, the two went in silence to the throne room that he's had the pleasure of seeing pretty often in the past few days. Once again going past the guards, Ike was in the presence of Apostle Sanaki. Going to the empress, Sigrun was given the letter, and returned to give it to the mercenary commander.

"That should be everything you need in order to properly search Duke Tanas' villa," she told him. "Now, you should be off-oh, and if the wolf prince is awake now, please send him directly to me," she reminded, beclouding Ike with her interest in Khimari.

"Yes, apostle," he said, before taking leave of her as he left the throne room to check on how everything was going. He saw that Titania had nearly finished gathering everyone, and they'd be ready to leave well before noon. Not seeing a need to ask for a report, he went directly to Mist's room, and opened the door to see the two healers and Khimari, now awake, standing up.

"Well…I guess you're good to go…but I wish you'd stay," Mist said.

"I'll be fine," the wolf eased, pinching the cleric's cheeks while Rhys turned around to see Ike.

"Oh, hello, Ike," he greeted. "Khimari's checked out-he can come with us as long as he doesn't do anything…strenuous," he informed which in the wolf's case of "strenuous," meaning that he doesn't try to take on twenty people at the same time.

"So basically, we make sure that he doesn't get beaten too badly," he summed up, leading to a snort from the Laguz.

"I'm right here, ya know," he said, sounding like his regular self again. "And I dare anyone to try to take me down," he growled, before Mist bonked him on the head with her staff. "What was that for?"

"You need to calm down!" she chastised.

"…Okay," he submitted, surprising every person currently occupying the room. "I won't do _everything_ that I usually do," he tried to compromise, sounding like the wolf they knew once again.

"No, you need to take a backline role in this one! We don't know if you'll get dizzy or anything, and-" she was promptly shushed by Khimari blowing some air on her face.

"Like I told you, I'll be fine," he calmly said, and Mist moved to talk again until the wolf put his index finger up in a "be quiet" motion. "Keep doing this and you lose your wolf pillow privileges for two weeks," he threatened, which did wonders as the girl's eyes went wide.

"W-what!? You wouldn't-"

"I think everyone here knows that I _would_ ," he interrupted, his expression challenging Mist to make a retort. When she realized that she still needed him as a pillow, she sighed in defeat.

"Fine…But if I see one reason to take you out of the battle, I _will_ do it, got it?"

"Yes, Commander Mist," he sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes before Mist tried to push him, to no avail as the wolf sidestepped, making the cleric fall on her bad. Though, one thing he didn't keep in mind was the girl's staff, whose end accidently hit him right where it hurts. The other two boys in the room couldn't help but wince at the _thwack_ that came from the staff's wood colliding with the wolf's manhood, while Khimari balled his fists and tried to muster every ounce of strength he had to avoid falling to the ground and rolling in agony. Closing his eyes and breathing slowly, the Laguz immensely tried to let the pain subside as Mist looked at him in confusion when she got off of her bed.

"Khimari? Are you alright?" she asked, touching his head for a second before pulling it back. "Oh, no! Rhys, he's getting a fever!" she told the priest, who sighed at the innocent girl.

"Mist…Let me take a look at him, and you go meet with the others," he diverted, the cleric nodding as she left the room, and Khimari let out a deep breath while slowly sitting on the bed for a second. "Umm…Khimari? I can…heal it if you want," he then offered to the wolf, who hesitated for a minute, not sure how to take that.

"Uhhh…" Ike spaced out, not really knowing what to do in this situation. "I'll…go check on how everything's going," he excused, not exactly feeling comfortable about seeing Rhys put his staff on Khimari's…area. "Oh, and Khimari, the apostle wants to see you as soon as possible," he remembered, before leaving the room and making sure to close the door. Going over to Titania, he decided to check to see how things are going. "Are they almost ready?"

"Yes, and when Soren and I finish the last minute details, we'll be able to go," she said. "I haven't seen Rhys come yet…is he alright?" she asked.

"He's fine, and he's helping Khimari with a little…issue. After Khimari talks with the apostle, we leave, but it won't take too long," he returned, Titania nodding at the answer. The three, Soren included, then checked to make sure things were ready as well as to cover up anything that could go wrong while at the villa. It seemed that time was convenient to them because as they finished with the final preparations, Khimari returned, ready to go, though he seemed a little peeved when he rejoined with the troop. "What happened?" Ike questioned, seeing that the wolf was subconsciously growling upon walking back to them.

"…These people are really starting to annoy me," he said after taking a heavy huff, though just a second later he gave a big smile on his face. "It looks like Titania and Soren did a great job when I was out! I have to thank them later," he complimented, liking how quickly the two rallied the troops.

"…Okaaayy…" Ike drawled, inwardly sighing at the unexplained mood change. "Get in the group," he told the wolf, who complied as he headed to the front as usual. After a general debriefing, the mercenaries left to the edge of Serenes Forest.

XXXXX

'Ugghhh…My stomach…' Khimari thought as he and the rest of the group were traveling to the forest-side villa of Duke Oliver of Tanas in order to persecute and search his manor on suspicions of Laguz slavery. It had been about an hour-and-a-half since the…incident occurred, and the dull pain Rhys told him would happen started to plague the Laguz as well, making him slow his pace dramatically as he tried to ignore the daunting pain. He even had the feeling to throw up once or twice, though it usually went away after a few minutes.

He did not want to repeat that experience ever again…

Anyways, the group were nearing Duke Oliver's villa, and the closer they got, the more excited the wolf became. He just _knew_ the fat man was guilty of something, and when they found out, there'd be hell to pay. "Wait a second…" he muttered to himself, causing a little concern from Nasir, who was walking besides him.

"Is anything wrong?" he questioned, bringing the Laguz out of his stupor.

"What? Oh…Nope! Everything's peachy!" he reassured, before a shiver went up his spine. "Or not…" he muttered, now equipped knowing that something bad was about to happen. Trying to erase the bad feeling in his gut, he turned back to the blue-haired man. "Hey, Nasir?" he called, attracting his attention. "You said that you had a granddaughter, right? What's she like?" he asked.

"She is a very kind person, and she doesn't like violence much either," he started, though he had quite a sorrowful look on his face.

"Is there something wrong? I didn't bring up any bad memories, did I?" Khimari worried, as Nasir had become a pretty close friend to the wolf throughout the little time they've known each other.

"No…You did no wrong…She…is in a difficult situation right now," he admitted, though it seemed like he wasn't comfortable with the topic.

"I won't talk about it again, if it's too much for you," the wolf sympathetically told the man.

"I'm sorry…" Nasir apologized suddenly, and in response Khimari padded up to the Laguz and licked his hand, making him pull it up.

"Hey, she'll be fine!" the wolf reassured, making a toothy smile. "Just…hope for it and smile!" he advised cheerfully.

"Hmmm…Optimism does seem to be a great boon to those who need it," he murmured. "You may be young, but you show much wisdom," he praised to the wolf, who modestly licked his chest fur.

"Don't say that…You make my tail wag too much!" he joked, though it was true as his tail was starting to move a little uncontrollably, inciting a small laugh from Nasir.

"I'm taking advice from a child…" he remarked in slight disbelief that the Laguz next to him is the same one he was having a conversation with earlier.

"Hey, I'm pretty smart, gramps!" he retorted, before he was called by Ike. "Welp, looks like I have to go. I'll talk to you later, Nasir!" he said, before padding at a faster pace to get to the mercenary commander at the front of the pack. "Yeah, Ike?"

"When we get there, you need to check your nose for any scent or sign that he's hiding something, in case he has a secret room or something," he directed to the wolf, who nodded as he switched on to his serious side.

"Got it. Anything else?" he asked.

"No…Are you sure that you're alright after what happened this morning?" he amended, after thinking about the situation.

"I know I'm alright," he responded.

"Are you…alright?" Ike asked in a different way while scratching his head in discomfort, and when the wolf figured out what the commander meant his fur started to get a lot hotter.

"Umm…yeah…Rhys helped me…" he awkwardly answered. "He said that…they should be…fine…" Falling into an awkward silence, the two brothers simply walked along, not saying a word to each other while looking around at the scenery as they tried to forget the moment that just transpired between the two. Soon enough, Khimari transformed back into his Beorc form. "We're coming close. Maybe about five more minutes," he relayed to Ike. He nodded, and the few minutes came quickly as the villa of Duke Tanas was now seeable by everyone, and it was huge, along with guards on every side.

"Is this the place?" Ike asked his tactician, who nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, it is, and is rather heavily guarded," Soren noted. "Even so, I think a direct approach would be our best option," he shared, letting the group go closer towards the mansion until they were stopped by the guard.

"Halt! Who goes there?" he interrogated. "This villa is property of Duke Tanas. No trespassing is allowed!" he stated in a monotone voice.

"I am Ike, of the Greil Mercenaries," he introduced, stepping forward. "Under orders from the apostle, we've been charged with investigating the duke," he told the guard, whose stone expression cracked as soon as Ike revealed the reason for their appearance.

"What? T-The apostle sent you?" he questioned in wonder. "W-w-wait here a moment!" he told them, before running into the palace. In that time, Mist and Titania came up to the commander.

"Okay, brother, we'll sneak around and see what we can find," the cleric said.

"Good idea," he complimented.

"Leave it to us," Titania assured. "If we get caught, we can talk our way out of it. All right, Mist, let's get going," she motioned to the younger girl, who eagerly nodded as the two went around the manor for any proof. A few moments after the two left, the rest of the troop could see Duke Oliver coming outside himself, leading to Khimari growling.

"Fat tub of lard, I'm gonna enjoy cutting you open..." he violently muttered, leading Ike to take a warning shot at the Laguz not to do anything to jeopardize the mission. In response to the silent look, the wolf rolled his eyes before stepping back a few steps as to get outside choking distance of the senator as he reached the group.

"What is it I hear? That you lads claim to be here on the apostle's business?" he inquired, giving them a look as if they weren't worth his time.

"We have a letter here with her seal," Ike said, giving the senator the letter Sanaki gave him before they departed. Oliver looked at the letter for a good long moment, before giving the document back to Ike.

"It appears genuine," he judged. "Am I in a position to question what exactly I am suspected of doing?" he then asked.

"We are here by the apostle's order," Soren interjected. "Do you honestly intend for us to discuss this private matter outside?"

"Oh, no! Of course not!" the large man denied. "I would never…Please, come inside," he guided, the rest of the mercenaries filing behind him as they were shown inside the man's villa. Khimari had to admit, he didn't like the guy, but even he had to admit that this dude knew a thing or two about designs.

The halls were adorned with a simple, but captivating red carpet that greatly complimented the walls of his villa along with the many pieces of art that hung or were displayed throughout the whole place. As they entered, Khimari, along with all of the other Laguz, were called over by Ike as Duke Oliver led them into the mansion. "All of you; keep your noses and ears sharp. We don't know what he could be hiding, so you guys have to look out for anything suspicious," he ordered, before going back to the Duke. "We have a warrant to search your villa, so you wouldn't mind showing us around, would you?"

"Oho! Of course not!" he obliged, a little _too_ agreeing as he started the search tour of his villa. It was honestly very boring, and even through it all, they couldn't find a shred of evidence that could be used properly, though Khimari and Mordecai both told the commander that they smelt the faint scent of a Laguz or two, but it quickly went stale, so that couldn't be considered evidence as well. Going back to the villa entrance, the rest of the group waited until further instruction while Ike and Soren were talking to the senator.

"How could we not find _anything_!?" Rikari quietly yelled certain that the Duke had slaves.

"Because…the fat man's hiding something," Khimari replied. "If I were you, I'd get ready to fight," he advised, before a guard's voice shouted from outside.

"Halt! You can't go in there!"

"Ike!" Mist called, as she and Titania entered the villa against the guard's wishes, and the two met up with Ike.

"Mist, what is it?"

"I saw him!" she yelled. "In a room on the top floor of the building, I saw someone who looked like one of the bird tribe try to jump out of a window before he was forced back inside," she explained, making Khimari discreetly transform as all eyes were now on Duke Tanas.

"Wha-Wha?" he spluttered in utter "confusion." "What is this…this child talking about?" he asked, clearly feigning innocence at this point.

"Someone from the bird tribe? Can you describe him?" Soren questioned the girl, who nodded in confirmation.

"He had long hair, and it was sparkling like gold! And, uh…His skin was so pale…almost translucent, and-oh! His wings were pure white!" she explained.

"Is that accurate, Titania?" Ike asked.

"Yes it is," she nodded.

"That would mean that it could only be a member of the heron clan in this place," the mage deduced. "According to books, only royal members of the herons possess white wings," he recalled.

"It looks like there's one room we have yet to see," Ike rhetorically said, turning back to the senator. "What's it going to be, Duke Tanas?" he challenged, the large man starting to step back as the commander closed the distance between the two. "You can cooperate and show us this room you somehow forgot, or-"

"G-Guards! Kill them all, and don't let a single one escape!" he ordered, running to the back of his villa as soldiers started to burst out from every entrance and exit of the palace. Jumping out, Khimari quickly killed the one who was closest, the guard that was with Duke Tanas the whole time, before turning back to Ike.

"Mercenaries, it's time!" Ike called, spurring the rest into action. Almost immediately, they were attacked by a few myrmidons and fighters, though they were no match for everyone all together. After the first wave was taken care of, they all split into small groups, to do different tasks. Khimari ended up with Nephenee and Ike, and were plowing through their forces. Coming up, they had to face two knights, a mage, and a soldier that blocked their path from the enemy general and Duke Tanas. Ike and Khimari went for the knights, though the wolf had a harder time considering the thick layer of armor around them. Going for the helmet, Khimari succeeded in knocking it off of the man's head, and making his neck vulnerable to attack. Whipping around, the wolf leaped forward and bit the knight's neck, jumping off as the man slowly hit the ground.

He quickly found out that it wasn't the best place to go when he found himself enveloped inside of an elfire spell, before it burst and made him yowl in searing pain. Glaring at the mage in anger, Khimari got ready to pay him back before Nephenee came forward, plunging her lance straight through his stomach. "No burnin' mah boyfriend," she muttered quietly, making Khimari snort despite the situation they were in.

"Hey, I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around," he pouted as she and Ike regrouped on their way to the leader of the senator's guards.

"Gotta be quicker next time, I reckon," she replied, a little smirk on her face as well as they turned the corner to see more myrmidons and to Khimari's displeasure; mages.

"You dare bring conflict into Bishop Oliver's home?" the lead general rhetorically asked in anger. "You will pay for your impudence! Destroy them!" he commanded.

"Yes, General Kimaarsi!" they saluted, and something snapped in Khimari's head at that moment the man's name was called.

"…My name will NOT be copied and stolen like that! It's KHIMARI, and it will be nothing else but KHIMARI!" he yowled, running forward and killing one myrmidon with a vicious bite before scratching the second one's throat, getting rid of both of them. Then at an instinctive twitch of his tail, he flipped backwards, barely avoiding a wind spell and two fire spells from the three mages. Pouncing, the Laguz came to all of the mages and killed all three with claws gorging their necks, dropping them to the ground like flies as he looked at the general, who was definitely at least a little frightened at the display he had just seen.

"B-begone, you animal! You will not defile this place!" Kimaarsi cried, steeling his resolve and raising his spear.

"And YOU won't defile MY name!" he retorted, snarling as he jumped at the general, while Ike and Nephenee looked on in disbelief and wonder if this was really happening or not.

"Has he…always been like this?" she asked the commander while they cleared out the last remaining soldiers as Khimari dealt with the enemy general.

"…Welcome to the family, Nephenee," he simply said, before going back to the battle between the wolf prince and the senator's general. The sight was definitely something to behold; Kimaarsi had multiple punctures and pieces of his armor missing, as well as claw marks along his skin and armor, while the wolf himself looked relatively fine. Giving a wolf howl, Khimari leaped forward once again, biting down and breaking the man's arm in addition to his armor, making him drop his spear before he suffered another scratch to his face. In an impressive display of acrobatics for a Laguz, Khimari flipped to the general's back, and gave the finishing blow to his neck, ending the general once and for all.

"…Was that really necessary?" Ike sighed exasperatedly as Khimari huffed at the question.

"Yes, yes it was," he nodded.

Ignoring the currently homicidal enigma known as Khimari, Ike simply rolled his eyes as the group went down the corridor where Duke Tanas escaped through, to find another door. "…I will never cooperate with you!" the wolf heard, and he was able to pinpoint it to the last door down the way.

"It's this door!" he motioned to Ike, who followed the wolf to a door on the top floor.

"Hey! Where are you Duke Tanas?" Ike said while knocking on the door, only to receive no answer. "Are you in here?"

"Oh, for Ashera's sake! Do you think he would say anything?" Khimari huffed, going to the door and banging on it three times before he knocked it off its hinges, the door falling down on the ground to reveal exactly what Mist had described earlier, a heron with golden hair and white wings, along with extremely pale skin and all white clothing.

Looking at the mercenary commander, the heron looked disgruntled at best. "Who are you?" he asked, his eye and his tone containing a look of distrust of the Beorc.

"You're the Serenes…We've come to help you," he reassured, before seeing that the bird's arm was injured and bleeding. "Your injury…Did that man do that to you? We have to take care of that…" Ike started, getting closer to the heron until the Laguz stepped back with a look of disgust.

"Do not approach me, cursed human!" he yelled, before running out of the room and past all of the mercenaries.

"Hey! Wait!" Ike called, to no avail as the heron kept running. Quickly thinking, he turned to the wolf right beside him. "Make sure that Duke Oliver's men don't get to him. We have to go get some answers from the apostle…" he ordered, to which Khimari nodded. Transforming into his Laguz form, the wolf quickly locked on to the heron's scent trail which was mixed with the overwhelming scent of the blood from his wound, making the bird easy to track. Separating from the rest of the mercenaries, Khimari followed the scent trail outside of the villa and into Serenes Forest, and was for lack of better word, disgusted at the sight before him.

The forest had been completely destroyed, all of the trees gray and the ground ash-like, looking like something that represented the very meaning of doom. As far as Khimari's ears went, it was nearly completely desolate of life, besides the occasional animal squeals that were a great distance apart from each other.

"Oh…What is this?" he said in a moment of anger against Begnion, who completely tore down the place that was once the home of the heron tribe. 'Everything's…gone…' he saw, looking for anything that could be considered still alive in this place. "Humans really ARE terrible…" he concluded aloud, closing his eyes for a second while taking a deep breath of mourning for the herons. No one deserved anything like this.

After about a minute, Khimari continued his search for the heron through the dead forest, while trying to avoid Oliver's troops at the same time, which proved to be easier due to the fact that they didn't know of his presence in the forest at all. Soon after passing the second wave of the senator's lackeys, the heron's scent started to get stronger, and much easier to follow. Racing through the dead forest as quiet as a shadow, the wolf found the heron lying at the root of another dead tree, his back on the remains of the bark as he held his arm in pain.

"Ah!" he yelled at the sight of the wolf, before quieting down as not to attract the people looking for him. "Who…" he was about to ask, before he remembered. "You were with the blue-haired one…"

"Yeah, that's me," he confirmed, changing the heron's face into one of hatred. "Look, we'll talk about it later, but for now, we gotta get you patched up and away from these humans, alright?" he said, taking charge of the situation and using the derogatory term for the Beorc. Reluctantly nodding, the heron letting Khimari come over and inspect his wound, a pretty big cut, but nothing too serious. Taking the wrap off of his ankle, he wrapped it around the bird's arm after rolling up his sleeve. Making sure it was good enough, he finished about five minutes later. "Well, how is it?"

Giving his arm a few movements, he found that it was going to heal properly. "It is fine. Thank you…" he thanked, putting a big smile on the wolf's face.

"Anytime!" he returned. "Now…let's try to find somewhere away from these bozos. That-"

"Hey, I found someone!" a voice called out.

"Crap!" Khimari hissed, before turning to the heron. "Go and find somewhere to hide," he told the heron, who shook his head in disagreement.

"But how will you find…"

"I have your scent. It'll be easy, now go!" he quickly explained, as soldiers started to come into the area where they were hiding. Transforming into his wolf form, Khimari started to snarl at them, causing them to shrink back in fear for a second, before some of them began to steel their nerves against the wolf prince. Hearing the heron run away from the scene, Khimari quickly stretched his legs before pouncing on the nearest soldier. Quickly killing him, a massacre ensued, the Laguz claiming victim after victim of the senator's soldiers that seemed never-ending.

After getting the first wave, Khimari got no break as another wave of men came, this group a mix of knights and mages as well as the swordsman and fighters that were seen in the first group. "Try me; I dare you!" he growled, before jumping at the next batch of soldiers. This time; however, it seemed that he would have his work further cut out for him. After killing about forty more soldiers, he found himself being forced to the defensive as he was attacked and hit by a fire spell, throwing him back a few feet on his back. Getting up nearly instantly, he jumped out of the way to avoid another fire spell, before a wind spell managed to hit him, cutting his side quite deeply. Getting tired of these annoying mages, Khimari used his special ability, cutting through three mages before killing a knight with a bite to the neck, mostly sealing his side wound up.

Though, however many times he kept healing himself with his Shred attack, as he decided to name it, it would do no good against the exhaustion that was starting to come on to him. He had to have been fighting for almost an hour, if not more, and there was piles of dead soldiers around him, but more just kept on coming. Panting hard, Khimari finally finished off the fourth wave of attackers, only to discover _another_ wave of soldier's coming towards him. Exhausted, Khimari couldn't dodge attacks as much, and found himself littered with wounds, and even if he did what the soldiers did to him twenty-fold, he was only one person, while they were many.

Getting cornered by at least thirty more soldiers, Khimari started to feel dizzy, and faint as a result of his exhaustion. 'No…Not now!' he thought, fighting with his body as staying conscious would be the difference between life and death for the prince.

When the wolf started to think that his time on Tellius may be over, he heard…singing? The soldiers also stopped to listen to the song as well, and the sound of it was extremely close by…Looking to his left, he saw the heron from earlier was the one who was singing the song, and a small shroud of blue light surrounded the wolf. As quickly as it came, it disappeared, but Khimari could _feel_ the effects, his exhaustion disappearing and his fatigue leaving him, he was more refreshed than any sleep he may have had.

Turning back to the soldiers quickly, the re-energized wolf gave a roar that could have easily been confused with that of a tiger, or even a lion, and jumped back into the fray with newfound vigor. Tearing through the soldiers once again, Khimari finished off the last knight of that group, before turning to the rest of the Duke's henchmen, who were scared out of their wits. Roaring again, the wolf prince sent the soldiers on a fright trip, as he slowly crept towards them with his claws outstretched and his fangs bared.

"R-r-run! Forget the duke, if we stay, he'll kill us all!" a soldier shouted, the others wisely following him and leaving the scene, leading Khimari to give a howl of victory at the end of the hardly-fought battle before he turned to the heron, who came out of his hiding place.

"Thanks for helping me…But what are you doing here? I told you to go hide!" he chastised his fellow Laguz, but not before thanking him.

"I couldn't let you die because of me…" he simply said, leading the wolf to sigh.

"I heard that herons were more agreeing than this…You're nearly as stubborn as I am," Khimari remarked, shaking his head at the heron's actions. "Anyways, let's find a place to turn in for the night. I'm bushed."

"But…I cannot see in the dark…" the bird admitted, and it made sense seeing as the sun was nearly completely gone from the horizon.

"…Just follow me," Khimari dictated, the heron nodding. Leading the two through the razed forest, they eventually found a small cave where they could use for shelter. "And since you can't see…I'll go get things for a fire, so you-No, you can't come," he immediately shot down seeing as he was about to get up along with him. Begrudgingly, he let the wolf go alone in search of some wood, which was sadly easy considering the whole forest was a charred mess of trees and shriveled grass. Returning back to their makeshift campsite, Khimari made the fire after some trial and error, and the two sat by it, the wolf in his Laguz form. "So…now that we're not about to die…Who are you?"

"I'm Reyson," he introduced. "And you are…"

"Khimari. Nice to meet ya!" he said, though that name sent off something in Reyson's head.

"Wait…I've heard that name before…" he mumbled, before his mind led him back to the meeting between Laguz royalty that they had just about a week or so ago, making his eyes widen in shock. "You're the wolf prince!?" he asked/yelled, leading said prince into his own brain of how he could've known.

"Yep, that's me!" he smiled. "Though…How'd you know?" he returned, making the heron snap out of his stupor.

"A meeting…between all Laguz royalty was held…King Gallia told us of your existence after King Goldoa mentioned it," he informed the wolf.

"Aw…Stupid ol' lizard, I wanted it to be a surprise," Khimari pouted, making Reyson laugh a little bit at the wolf's choice of words for King Dheginsea.

"That sounds exactly like how Tibarn would say it…" he mentioned, perking Khimari's face up.

"Really, now? Tell me…What's this…Tibarn like?" he questioned, interested in knowing about the king of the hawk tribe.

"Well, he's stubborn, and a bit hard-headed sometimes…definitely strong…and he's a great friend and leader," he described.

"Hmm…Sounds like we'd get along just peachy," the wolf judged, leading Reyson to another grunt of laughter. "Say…How'd you end up getting caught by the fat guy?" he asked the heron, whose face contorted into one of hate as he recollected the recent memories of Naesala's betrayal.

"I was betrayed…and sold to him by someone I thought I could trust…" he revealed, his hands balled up and shaking in anger.

"…For a heron, you're rather violent, ya know that?" he noted, as he started to wash off his bloodied pelt.

"For a wolf, you're rather…flexible," he retorted, the wolf giving a snort at the poor comeback attempt.

"Meh, my dad's a cat Laguz, so it's perfectly understandable," he waved off easily, before going back to cleaning his fur. That's how the two were for a while, the Khimari getting the blood off of his fur as Reyson stayed staring at the campfire in contemplation.

"Khimari…" the heron called, bringing the wolf's attention off of his pelt. "Why were you with the…humans earlier?"

"I'm with a mercenary company…the leader found me after I lost my mother in a sandstorm," he answered.

"So...Do you trust humans?" he prodded, his gaze setting on his fellow prince.

"…No, I don't," he admitted. "When I was younger, I was raised in a place where there was no discrimination. It didn't matter if you were Beorc or Laguz, as long as your personality was good, you were treated just the same as everyone else. But…when I ended up here…I saw that these…humans were beyond saving in most situations, and this forest gives me some good proof of that," he admitted, before giving a dry laugh. "You know…even after being partially raised by Beorc, I still can't call all of them that. No matter how much I try to be nice about it, I simply find more reasons to hate humans," he bitterly sighed, making the heron's eyes widen. "That kinda explains why I say both words; because you can't put all of them into one category!"

"…I wish I could follow your thinking, but in my case it will be impossible," Reyson finally replied.

"And why is that?"

"They murdered nearly all of my people! My brothers and sisters…all of them, killed because of a false rumor. I can never forgive humans for what they did to us…"

"And you don't have to," Khimari said. "Hate humans all you want, it won't bring your family back. Instead of doing nothing but hate them…try to find the exceptions in the bunch!"

"Did you not hear me!? All humans-"

"Did you not hear _me_? Humans and Beorc are two separate beings. The fine line between the two is their spirit, and their willingness to atone for what they knew what was, whether or not they had a part in it or not."

"Pah! And I thought that maybe you of all people, whose people were virtually erased just like mine, wound understand me! All you're doing is defending them! They don't deserve to be here, none of them, but you tell me to look for _good_ ones?"

"Yes…I am…" Khimari said, his own temper slowly rising as buried feelings of his own started to resurface from the recesses of his mind and soul.

"That's insulting! How dare you throw away your pride as a Laguz, your people's honor and lives, for humans!? You should hate them, you should want to destroy them, you should want them all dea-"

"STOP!" the wolf prince roared, cutting off the heron's rant. "Do you think I don't hate them? Well, I DO!" he admitted. "I do hate humans, and I did wish upon a time I could slice every single one of them until they were nothing but blood and guts! They're the reason most of my people were either killed or buried somewhere in a sand dune. They're the reason I was separated from my father before I WAS BORN! They've done nothing but HURT us, then be guilty because they realized that there were better ways to handle something. I WANTED THEM ALL DEAD!" he yowled, surprising the both of them at the sheer amount of rage Khimari was exhibiting at the moment, and though it scared the wolf, but he simply couldn't stop. "I wanted them to hurt, and I wanted them to suffer. Whenever I cut a human's throat open, I ENJOYED it! Whenever I snapped their neck, I ENJOYED it! Whenever I murdered a human, I ENJOYED IT!" he said, his eyes slits as his whole body shook when he revealed how he truly felt. "You know what I realized? I realized that I became WORSE than them! I was a MONSTER!"

"…" Reyson was silent as Khimari took out his claws, still stained red from the blood that he claimed from the soldiers today in his defense.

"Do you see these? I used to like seeing them red, because that meant another human was gone," he admitted. "I couldn't even care to count how many lives have been taken by these claws, or these teeth, but all I cared to think was that another scourge was removed from the world…But for what? Where's the honor in killing for no reason? For revenge? No…revenge is a sugar-coated name for murder, and I fell for it."

"…"

"That's when…I tried to get myself away from a life like that…" he continued, in a much calmer tone than before. "Pranks, jokes, you name it, they were harmless ways of getting rid of anger. I guess…I've been denying my anger so long, I never realized that it took control of me whenever I laid my feet on a battlefield. And now…It's been growing, until I couldn't control it anymore…But it shouldn't be controlled," he said, confusing the heron. "Anger is just another emotion, and like all the others, it needs to be expressed. I found that out after I met a Beorc…his name was Greil…" he mentioned, closing his eyes at the mention of his unofficial father and the one who took him in. "He knew I had no feelings of anger towards him, or his children. We were best friends, but as I grew up, he saw the looks of disdain I had whenever I saw another hu...Beorc. I tried to hide it, but he could see right through me," he reminisced.

"He told me I had to let go of my anger, but I told him I didn't have any, and I've been ignoring it ever since…" he revealed, honestly surprising himself that he'd reveal this to a person he'd only just met, considering he would never have told Ike this, no matter how long they've been friends together. "But now…I feel sorry for Beorc…all of them…because most of them will never see what they can do if they listen to those who know right instead of those who know wrong…"

"…I understand…But I cannot let the humans go unpunished," Reyson finally said.

"…Fine, but you get no sympathy from me when you find out it was all for nothing," Khimari retorted. The rest of the night was silence as Reyson fell into an uncomfortable sleep, leaving the wolf alone to think about what he said to the heron. Once again unsheathing his now clean claws, he looked at them while in his own brain. 'Have I…really forgiven them? Or am I just like Reyson…who wants them all to die?'

XXXXX

A/N: That was…deep…I just…can't…No…I don't know what to say after writing that…That was…scary…I was shaking by the time I finished this…I can't even try to end it happily, and I easily could, but the emotions are so strong I can't even fake the feeling of happiness…I'll see you all…next chapter…

Oh, and speaking of chapters…Updates will probably be slowed down, because school starts for me in…ten days, and I will be bombarded with work and the getting used to of high school…


	17. The Song of Revealing

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Okay, I think I've got my update schedule! If I stick to the routine I made up (let's face it, I probably won't), then I should update on the first day of every month, as well as the third Friday of every month and possibly, the last Sunday of every month, effective at the beginning of August, with this chapter, (or the next one, it depends on how much I write.)

(Oh, and another thing…Mariah is AWESOME!) That was…random.

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done…_

In the destroyed forest of Serenes, the sun was rising, its light shining through the darkness of night to once again reveal the gray, destroyed forest that was once home to the heron tribes. The dull and dead forest loomed on the Begnion border, reminding them of their greatest mistake every time as they looked at their doorstep.

In the little cave that the wolf and heron prince found yesterday, Reyson was starting to stir, coming out of the uncomfortable sleep he drifted into after the conversation he had with Khimari the night before. Slowly rising, he stretched his wings before his eyes came to a realization; the wolf was gone. 'So…he abandoned me too…' the heron bitterly thought, before something in the wall caught his attention. It looked as though they were some words, and it did make him curious. Going over to the wall, he tried to let the sunlight through as he read the words written into the stone.

"Stay put, went to get food…" he read aloud, seeing that this was from Khimari. He then looked down at some other words the wolf wrote into the cave's wall. "Don't worry, the human…Beorc soldiers from Fatty McGee can't find this place. I made sure that they were…taken care of, so you just don't leave, ya stubborn featherhead…I have to stop now, my paw hurts," he read once again, looking at the wall with a blank look, not sure how to even react to what he just witnessed. A minute later or so, Reyson found himself giving a small snort of laughter, and then it eventually turned into a full-blown laugh as he started to hold his stomach in slight pain. After a little while of doing that…he suddenly stopped, realizing that this was the first time since… _that_ time he truly laughed about something.

With that, the heron prince sat down as he started to think about the events that occurred last night, with Khimari. His mind was in shambles thinking about the wolf's words, as well as the sheer outpour of emotion he felt from his fellow Laguz. He couldn't help but wonder…if his way was truly wrong, despite what the humans did to his people.

' _Revenge is a sugar-coated name for murder_ ,' he heard the wolf's words from his outburst last night replay in his mind. At those words, he started to wonder if all of this hatred was really worth it, especially when he returned even further back to the words that King Dheginsea bestowed upon him. ' _Blood only leads to blood, and violence begets violence. Revenge is simply another word for murder_ ,' the dragon king's advice reverberated in his brain, making him face the facts. If both of them, who were different in every way and never met, King Goldoa cold, detached, and very _very_ old, and then Khimari, who was bright, empathetic, but only a teenager, said nearly the _exact_ same thing, maybe…he was the one in the wrong…

"Hey, you're still here, ya stubborn bird!" a voice said, forcing the heron to leave his thoughts, and turn his head to see Khimari with some food, coming over and laying a pouch with some…fruit at Reyson's feet, before sitting down next to the Heron, with that smile on his face…

"You're still loud, you bipolar wolf," he retorted, leading to said wolf to give a laugh at the prince's choice of words.

"You're getting better at comebacks…that's a good thing…" the beast Laguz mentioned.

"Where…did you find all of this?" Reyson asked, looking at the apples and other fruit that the wolf brought to him. "When did you have the time for this?"

"Well…I woke up about four hours ago, then I left after leaving you that letter-my paw still is stinging by the way, and I had to go outside of the forest, but it wasn't anything too much," he shrugged, before transforming and biting into a fish that he caught along the hunt. He quickly gobbled the dead fish, leaving nothing but bone out of the animal, as Reyson slowly started to eat his food as well, feeling a sense of…peace? He wasn't too sure, but the wolf had given him a certain calm that seemed to be just what he needed at the moment.

Using his power as all herons had, he looked into the wolf's heart, and was deeply confused by what he saw. The first emotion he came across on the surface was optimism, though it was quickly followed by…sadness? As the heron looked through the wolf's inner emotions, he found a wave of contradictions, happiness, sadness, anger, elation, modesty, pride…When he reached to the deepest reaches of the wolf prince's spirit, he immediately felt a soft childlike embrace…it was innocence, and inside of it was forlonging. He couldn't help but go as far as he possibly could, and at the center of his soul was the same thing; innocence and forlonging, along with the occasional feeling of confusion and hope at the core. Staring at the wolf, he retreated out of Khimari's inner being as he simply kept his gaze on the prince, who was truly an enigma.

"Uhhh…Reyson?" the blue wolf called, seeing that the heron was staring at him in rapt fascination, as if he discovered something. Then, he suddenly sighed, as he remembered from a book about the ability heron's had to look into people's minds and souls and all that. Going over to Reyson, he calmly flicked the heron on his forehead, snapping him out of his stupor and making him grab his now throbbing head.

"What was that for!?" he yelled at the Laguz.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't use me for soul searching," he bitterly replied, making Reyson lower his head in shame for his actions. "Oh, let it go, I'm not mad," he then eased, causing the heron to look back at the wolf prince. "Where…to now?" he asked, changing Reyson's face into one of confusion. "You know this place better than I do," he admitted.

"We'll…go to the altar, in the heart of the forest," he finally said, convincing himself that humans still needed to pay after walking to the outside of the cave and once again witnessing the leftover carnage of the place he once called home. "Follow me," he directed, and Khimari did so after packing the leftover fruit up, following the heron deeper into the gray forest.

XXXXX

 _One day later…_

"Do you see anything?" Ike asked, back at Serenes Forest in search for the heron and Khimari. In response, he received a chorus of "no" and heads shaking the negative. Sighing, the ranger went over to another piece of the area they were currently in, and still couldn't find a single clue as to the whereabouts of the two. "Ugh, Khimari! You just had to cover up your steps, didn't you?"

"Well, from a logical standpoint, Khimari would have had to cover his tracks as to prevent himself or the Serenes royal from being captured by Duke Tanas' men," Soren interjected, making Ike see that the mage was right.

"Still…" he started, before a small growl was heard.

"Beorc Ike!" Mordecai called, bringing him and Soren over to the Gallian, and earning the ears of everyone else who halted their search. "Lethe and I found scent trail…" he informed the commander, everyone else perking up at the lead they finally got after nearly a whole day of searching, and a morning with little progress.

"Can you lead us?" he asked the tiger, who nodded as he and the orange cat led the group along the scent trail. Eventually, the scent started to become apparent to everyone…

"Oh, goodness, what is that?" Mist said, her nose wrinkling as the overwhelming stench hit her nose. The others shared her sentiments as the odor grew stronger, signaling that they were getting close to the source. Eventually, the smell became nearly unbearable, and when they came upon the origin, their eyes were horrified at the sight.

Slain corpses of soldiers were everywhere, and the stench came from the dead men, all starting to rot. "By the goddess…" Rhys gasped, before getting sick in the stomach, as some of the others started to get the same feeling.

"Who…did this?" Ike asked, surveying the dead bodies, though he had a sinking feeling of the suspect already.

"…Ike…" Tora called, bringing Ike's attention as he walked over to the red wolf. "This body has claw marks on it…" he mentioned, and going down for a closer look, he saw that there were indeed sets of claw marks that scarred the soldier's throat and face. Looking at another body, he found that it was a mage whose robe was torn, by claws as well seeing three diagonal scars along his chest. Going to another, he found that this knight had bite marks on his neck, which sealed the deal for the commander.

"Khimari…" he muttered. "What happened?" he asked himself, looking back at the many corpses to see Titania come over. "…What could you all find?"

"The stacks go on and on," she somberly reported. "There are at least a hundred bodies, and all of them are littered with either scratch wounds or bite marks, those being the cause of death of all of them. Ike…it couldn't be anyone but…"

"I know," he replied, looking at the carnage he knew Khimari caused. "But…all of this?"

"We won't know what happened until we find Khimari," she said rhetorically, as everyone came back into the group after looking at the dead bodies or emptying their stomachs of their breakfast. "What now?"

"…We keep looking for them," he decided aloud. "We're still on the clock against Oliver's men, and we don't know where Khimari is, or his condition. All of you; look for anymore signs of Khimari or the heron!" he ordered, before joining the search himself. Going in a group with Mist, Soren, and Titania, along with Tora, the five searched another sector of the forest. It seemed like they were going in circles honestly, because of the endless gray look of the burned trees and the razed ground.

That was all they found; burnt trees and dead grass for as long as they could see. Just when they had started to give up hope, a small wind started to pick-up, and storm clouds were starting to form, meaning that they were on a short leash in terms of time. Though, it proved to be a double-edged sword, instead, as Tora just so happened to find a familiar smell on his nose. "Hey, I got a scent!" he told the other four, who looked at him with anticipation. Taking point for now, the wolf led the four in the opposite direction of the wind, before coming at another place where the scent started to dissipate. "It's…gone, the trail stops here," he said.

"Okay, let's look around for something else," he directed, the five splitting off on their own separate ways, though still staying in a close proximity so that they weren't too far away from each other. Going to the left, Ike went through another mess of burnt trees but he couldn't find anything. Turning back, he was about to look somewhere else before he accidently tripped on a branch, which in turn caused a tree to nearly fall on him. Quickly rolling out of the way, he barely avoided the falling tree, and wondered what in the world made a small fall cause a tree to come down and nearly squish him. "Wait a second…" he murmured, going back to where tripped, and saw that the root was purposely uprooted, and going back to the tree, he saw that it was cut! "This was a trap…" he realized, and only one person he knew could do something as devious as this. Looking back near the fallen tree, he saw a small barricade of trees, though it perfectly blended in with the rest of the forest besides the fact that the fallen tree gave it away. Sifting through the destroyed land, Ike discovered a little cave, and a small place used for a campfire… "I found something!" he yelled, causing the other four to come to his position.

"What…a cave?" Mist pondered, as Tora gave it a quick sniff.

"No doubt about it. That happy furball was here," he cleared, rolling his eyes as they entered the cave that Khimari apparently occupied. Besides the campfire that was put out, all they could find was a half-eaten apple…and a white feather. "So…he found who we were looking for…"

"But now the question becomes, where did they go?" Soren said, before Ike noticed something.

"Hey, there's some words on these walls," he mentioned, prompting the others to come over and look at the words engraved onto the rock. As they came over, Ike read the "letter" slowly, before facepalming, much to the other four's confusion. "Of all people…"

"What's wrong, Ike?" Titania asked, all of them grouping up at the cave side where the words were.

"Just read it," he sighed, exasperated and still somewhat annoyed at the wolf even though he was nowhere in sight. Doing what the commander told them, each of them had different reactions of Khimari's little writing.

"He never ceases to amaze me…"

"Well…that's him alright…"

"That was…"

"…I can't even say anything to that," Tora admitted, shaking his head while the paladin pinched the bridge of her nose and Soren massaged his temples. "Anyways…his scent is about a day old, so they could be a lot of places, all in the forest, I would think," he continued.

"Okay…So, he found the Serenes heron, killed a bunch of men, spent the night here, went out to hunt, and then left?" Mist summed up, confusion written all over her face as the faces of the other's fell, with the exception of Tora who had a look of indifference. "But…Khimari wouldn't kill ALL of them like that!" she tried to defend.

"The evidence is evident and clear; Khimari is responsible for the death of every one of those soldiers," Soren harshly said, and though the three Beorc knew it was true, they still found it hard to swallow.

"Wait…" Titania muttered. "Ike, come look at the message," she told the ranger, who returned his attention to the cave letter. "Look at this-"human" was here, before it was crossed out and replaced with "Beorc," she noted.

"But Khimari's always said "human," unless it had something to do with us," he mentioned, before reading it more thorough. "The next line though…He says that the Beorc was "taken care of…" Did he mean those soldiers?" he concluded, leading to a sound protest from his little sister.

"No! Khimari didn't do it! He would never…"

"Face it, Mist. He killed all of those men, and he was clearly sane during that moment. The message only confirms that action, as well as his hatred towards humans," the mage remarked.

"B-but…" she stuttered, refusing to believe that about her big brother.

"Soren…Maybe there's a misunderstanding about this…" Ike started.

"What is there to misunderstand? Between the dead bodies and this message, I think it's explicitly clear that he did this out of his free will, when there was no need for such a massacre," he deduced, though Ike didn't believe it, and Mist didn't either.

"No! He's not like that! Even if Khimari did it, he had a good reason!" Mist objected.

"Oh, hatred sometimes is the most powerful reason in a case such like this," Soren shot back, making the cleric flinch back.

"Soren, stop!" Ike chastised him. "This isn't set in stone."

"Well, literally speaking, it is," Tora interjected, pointing back at the wall where the message was etched into the cavern.

"Are all you wolves like this?" he exasperatedly sighed, knowing that the prince would have said the exact same thing.

"Hey, I was just saying," he shrugged. Rolling his eyes, Ike was about to continue talking to Soren before a crackle of thunder boomed through the sky.

"…Come on. Let's regroup and go back. We're done for right now," the commander said, leading the five out of the cave. Heading back over to the site of all the dead bodies, all of the other mercenaries rendezvoused and departed back to the Mainal Cathedral.

XXXXX

"Reyson, we need to find some shelter," Khimari told the heron as a thunderous boom rebounded across the sky into their ears.

"But…Fine, we can still reach the altar by tomorrow," he gave in, leading the wolf to try and find a place where they could shelter from the oncoming storm. After looking through the deserted forest, they still couldn't find a place, and were getting rained on as they looked for somewhere to find warmth and dryness. Walking along, at the sound of a clank of metal, Khimari quickly took Reyson's hand and hid behind a tree. Looking back, he saw some soldiers come into the area.

"Brr…" he shivered. "I can't believe Duke Tanas made us go in such horrid weather! We'll all get destroyed by the storm before we find his "divine work of art!" he muttered, before another shushed him.

"Hey, don't be so loud! You know, rumor has it there's some sub-human wolf spirit here that's killing whoever comes into the forest," he told the other man. "I don't know about you, I'd keep it down so I don't get killed," he advised, and Khimari couldn't help but roll his eyes before he had to hold back a snort.

'Two days and I'm already some myth…Wow, that's inspiring…'

"Pah! Like I'd believe that rumor! Probably some old ghost tale!" the first soldier replied.

"No! Jay was there, and he said it was like watching a demon! There were piles of dead men everywhere, and he was tearing though them like paper!" he denied, his eyes wide with fear.

"Right, right," he sarcastically said, before Khimari got an idea for a little…prank. Giving a devious eye to the heron, he put up the "hush" motion before intentionally stepping on a stick, which put the two soldiers on guard.

"Wh-Who's there?" the first soldier interrogated, the two readying their lances.

"Leave…" the wolf growled, coming out sinister and demonic to the two soldiers.

"W-What do y-y-you w-want with us?" the second soldier then questioned.

"You shall not violate this land…" he growled, getting a little louder while transforming and letting the blue light from his transformation lightly reveal itself, scaring both of the Beorc out of their wits.

"P-Please don't h-hurt us!" the first yelled, apparently now believing the "Spirit of the Dead Forest," as some would probably put it.

"BEGONE!" he roared, the sound the wolf made echoing throughout most of the forest, utterly scaring the two soldiers to death.

"A-ah-AAAAHHHH!" the two yelled, dropping their spears as they both ran away, their footsteps splashing in the now muddy land as they screamed at the top of their lungs. Straining his ears, Khimari kept on to the sound of the two soldiers' footsteps, until they nearly completely disappeared from his ears. Then, he let out a great laugh, leaning back onto a tree as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"That was too funny! Did you see the look on their faces!?" he choked out, laughing so hard that his stomach started to hurt, while Reyson just sighed and shook his head at the wolf's antics.

"…I don't understand you," he simply stated with a blank look.

"Everyone says that," the wolf retorted. "Now…They're gone, and it seems that they left goodies for us," he smirked, coming out from the "hiding place" and picking up a bag that the soldier dropped as they ran. Looking through it, he mentally thanked the goddess as he saw that it was a nice little tarp, which should be large enough for two judging by the size. "Thank the spirit of fish!" he yelled, before another sudden bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, making Khimari jump in fright. "A-and Ashera, too, of course," he hastily added, getting a snort of laughter from Reyson, who was honestly a little amused by the wolf prince.

"What's in there?" he asked Khimari.

"Something to keep us from getting wet," the wolf replied. "Now that we have this nifty thing, all we need is a good place to put it!" he smiled, before going over to a place that was well-sheltered with fallen trees and putting up the aforementioned tarp. After making sure that it was high enough so the two wouldn't hit it with their heads, both princes went under the place. "Say…Why are we going to the altar?" he asked, somewhat curious as to what Reyson's intentions were.

"I'm going…to do the Dirge of Ruin…" he told the wolf.

"The Dirge of what?" he echoed, confused at what it was.

"It's…a forbidden magic of the heron tribe," he explained vaguely.

"Well…it's forbidden for a reason…What does it do?" he continued.

"…I can't tell you, or else you'd simply keep me away from there," Reyson said, putting Khimari on edge and making him keep an eye out for anything the heron prince might do.

"Okay…That sounds bad…Should I keep you away?" the wolf asked, confusing the white bird Laguz.

"…What? Why are you asking me?"

"Because…If you're going to do something crazy and stupid out of revenge, then I'd have to make sure you don't do it while this Tibarn isn't here, right? Besides, I wouldn't hurt you, but you know that you don't have much of a chance of getting away from me," the wolf said, his piercing gaze making Reyson flinch as he realized that Khimari was right; he couldn't fight, so what chance would he have against the wolf?

"You're right…" the heron admitted, already thinking of a plan to make sure the wolf stayed away from the altar long enough so he could complete the spell. "Then…why aren't you doing anything now?" he asked, wondering why the wolf hadn't tried to bound him or something else of the sort.

"I'm choosing to trust you right now," Khimari said. "So far, you've proven that you're a good person, just someone who's been scarred by life. But then again, that's a lot of people, so it wouldn't do me any good to keep you detained or something because you're angry," he elaborated as he laid down on the soft earth his wolf form. "I hate regretting my decisions, so please don't make me," he said, much like a warning before setting his head on his paws, and leaving Reyson to his thoughts as he looked out at the calming storm.

XXXXX

"We have returned," Ike told Sigrun, who was the first person they saw as they entered the apostle's domain.

"Welcome back, Master Ike," she returned. "Any news of your search?"

"No," he shook his head. "Besides some clues, we have nothing," he relayed to the Pegasus knight, who nodded in confirmation.

"You have been searching very much. You must have seen most of the forest by now," she remarked.

"Yes, all that's left to search is the heart of the forest," he admitted, as per what Soren told him on the way back.

"I see…The apostle wishes to accompany you tomorrow," she then dropped, making Ike's eyes widen.

"What?"

"Yes, she thinks that you are nearing the end of this mission, and wishes to meet the heron personally once he is found," she told the commander, who sighed in response.

"Well…I guess that'll work…We depart after dawn, right?"

"Yes, that is what the apostle wished," Sigrun nodded.

"Alright then, we'll head out tomorrow."

"I shall inform her. By your leave," she bowed, before walking away. Already sighing at the incoming headache called the apostle, Ike decided to return to his room, seeing Soren, Mist, and Titania there. They were supposed to be coming up with more plans for the search tomorrow, but he had no idea why Mist was here, hence why he gave a questioning look at the cleric.

"She refused stay in her room," Titania answered. Only nodding his head, the blue-head sat on his bed, ready for the ensuing conversation about their next course of action.

"Considering what we found today, I would say that going to the heart of the Serenes Forest would be our best chance at finding Khimari and the heron," Soren opened. "Considering that we've been at the outskirts for a long time, and even going deeply into the forest didn't do enough, we can only presume that they went in a northerly direction from the cave that we saw earlier," he judged, the thee absorbing the information as the tactician shared his opinion.

"That's probably the best course of action in this case," Ike agreed, knowing that the forest's center would like have something important to the heron, and his surrogate brother would definitely help him there, unless something happened. "…And…The dead men?"

"That is something that Khimari and only Khimari can explain," Soren shared. "His clear distrust of other humans outside of the company aside, there's not particularly much we can do about that situation considering they're already dead…"

"But what would the motive be for a killing of that size?" Titania pressed.

"My first thought would be him simply losing control, but the message he put into the wall takes that theory out, seeing as it was probably planned. The only I could think of…was either he was protecting the heron or…he did it out of hat-"

"No!" Mist interrupted. "Khimari wouldn't do that for no reason! There's got to be a reasonable explanation for that!" she said. "He must've been helping the bird Laguz! That's it…Yeah!" she nodded optimistically.

"It is incredibly childish to assume that he did what he did with noble intentions, considering his own past," Soren snorted.

"What do you-"

"As we learned in the Grann Desert, Khimari is the prince of Hatari, no? According to books, as well as Tora to a certain extent, the wolves suffered nearly as badly as the herons, where as one was nearly driven to extinction, the other was driven out of their home. With nowhere else to go, they were forced to travel to a new land, and that meant through Begnion and Daein, both which are countries who see su…Laguz as simple monsters that need to be put down. Many of the wolves were exterminated during their journey as an act of hate for killing the empress of Begnion-"

"Wait…But I thought the herons 'killed' the apostle…" Mist interrupted.

"Whoever wanted the Laguz gone needed a better lie than that…Herons were peaceful creatures that wanted to avoid conflict at all costs, so them doing the deed would be hard to swallow considering it was a race that couldn't fight," the mage explained. "The wolves, however…were the perfect pawn. They were known for their cunning, and weren't trusted by many due to their secretive behavior. It would be perfectly logical to blame the wolves for the assassination, then say that they conspired with the herons, who were essentially their next door neighbor, making it easy to slip into Begnion…"

"That's a perfect fit…" Titania muttered. "And then they would proceed to wipe out both the herons and the wolves…"

"Yes, that would seem so," Soren nodded.

"But what would that have to do with Khimari?" Mist asked.

"Mist…Khimari knows all of this…It's his tribe, and he would best know about their final years on Tellius, even if he wasn't born yet. Going back to the message as evidence, Khimari said he went on a hunt. It wouldn't be out of the question to say he went to the destroyed land of the wolf tribe, would it not? And considering how Serenes Forest was razed to the ground, it would be safe to hypothesize that the wolves' former land looked the same way, leading Khimari to hate Begnion at seeing what was his tribe's home in pieces."

"So…He killed them out of revenge?" Ike summarized, to which Soren nodded. For some reason, Ike didn't believe it, even though the mage's logic made perfect sense. Khimari simply wasn't that person.

"…" Mist was silent as she replayed everything that Soren said; though it could be true, she pushed it away, deluding herself into believing that it wasn't like he'd described it.

"…Well, maybe we should turn in for the night," Titania said, breaking the silence that had befallen the four. Getting up, the paladin came over to Mist, and helped her through the door, Soren leaving as well which left only Ike.

"Ugh…This is too complicated…" he said to himself as he laid himself onto the bed. Plagued of thinking about what Soren said, and about everything else with Duke Oliver and the heron, as well as Khimari, Ike had a hard time finding sleep that night…

XXXXX

Waking up in the middle of the night, Khimari looked to see that Reyson was still fast asleep, which was good in the case that he wouldn't try to sneak off. Stretching for a quick moment, he looked at the moon to see that the night was still rather young, and that daytime would be quite a ways away. Slowly getting out from under the tarp we set up, he immediately found out the hard way that the land was muddy after yesterday's storm.

Grimacing about cleaning the mud off of his paws and fur later, the wolf prince simply ignored it for now and quietly sneaked away from the heron. After making sure that he wouldn't wake him up, Khimari took a full sprint towards the west, to the former home of his tribe. Rushing through the dead forest, the wolf saw the gray forest as a blur as he ran through the remains of Serenes Forest. Eventually, the dead forest started to give way to treacherous mountains whose silvery-white peaks were seemingly glittering under the moon. Looking at the mountain, Khimari went in between the mountain range, following a small stream to a small mountain spring. From there, he looked around for any sign of where the wolves could have lived.

'Come on, Khimari…Think like a wolf,' he told himself, closing his eyes while thinking to himself. Straining his ears to as far as he could go, he tried to find a hint through the cold, dead mountain range, though the only sound that graced his ears was silence. Sighing in frustration, Khimari walked a little bit forward before something caught his eye. Padding over to a patch of snow, he took his paw and shoved it through the snow, and raised an eyebrow when he couldn't feel any stone. Bracing himself, the wolf then shoved his head though the wall of snow, finding that the wall was really an entrance to a cave! Excitedly, he jumped in, carefully though, so he wouldn't get trapped by the snow. Looking at the cavern, he was fascinated…until he saw a body of armor.

Going over slowly, he turned over the body of armor to reveal a Beorc, completely blue in the face as his eyes were still open. Jumping back in surprise, Khimari stared at him for a while, before looking over him to see a lance, also nearly encased in ice, as well as a coat of fur. Feeling a dark pit in his stomach, the wolf prince went away from the dead human and went to the balled up bunch of fur, turning the figure over to be a wolf. Khimari looked on in sadness as he saw the slain corpse of his kin, before looking over to see a tail on the side of a bunch of rocks. Looking over there as well, he was sick to his stomach to see that a child was slain, a long slash across his back as he lay on the cold stone of the hidden cave.

'No…' he refused to believe, going through the cave only to see more of what he already witnessed; dead bodies, of both Begnion soldiers but mostly wolves, including murdered cubs and mothers. Looking at the remains of his clan, Khimari had a torrent of emotions rushing through him; anguish, sadness, mourning, but the one that clearly stood out the most was _rage_. But this rage was different from the other times he may have had earlier in his life; this was pure anger. The only feeling comparable to this would be when he exploded in front of Reyson, and just when he thought it was all gone, his anger came back tenfold, as his eyes became slits and his claws sank into the hard stone floor.

"Humans…They did this…" he growled, before putting his nose against the last wolf that he saw, a gray wolf Laguz who had burn marks all over him, signaling fire magic. "I'm sorry…" the prince whispered, tears openly falling out of his eyes as he mourned the loss of all of his tribe; his _family_. He didn't know how long he stood there, but eventually he took his nose out of the wolf's muzzle and looked back to the cavern. Seeing the cave split into two ways, he decided to check the right path first, and felt utterly sick and angry at seeing even more corpses of his slain people. Ignoring the need to throw up, or stick his claws in every single already dead human and rip their head off, Khimari came to the end of the path, once again a "snow" wall coming, which in actuality was just a little snow that cleverly was moved to hide the cave entrance.

Khimari's eyes scanned the clearing, feeling absolutely broken at the sight before him; more wolves simply laying on the ground, dead, along with Begnion soldiers, many of whom could be seen as mages when he observed their garb. Not bearing to see all of the corpses anymore, Khimari left back through where the cave path split, and this time, he took the left path of the cave. Mysteriously, there weren't any bodies for the majority of the way after the beginning of the fork in the cave. Going through the tunnel, the wolf prince wondered where in the world he was going when he saw that he was in here for at least fifteen minutes, and maybe longer, before he started to see any light that came from the exit.

Unlike the right tunnel, this one didn't have any snow covers, or any snow for that matter. The land was all plain, with the occasional tree and group of shrubs together as the rolling grasses went on for a while. Intrigued, the wolf prince went further into the land, seeing the mountains weren't too far away, and he'd be able to explore before going back to Serenes Forest and to Reyson. Going away from the cave, Khimari went up to a hill that was nearby, which was home to a small lake, apparently. Reverting to his Beorc form, the wolf went to the water, and saw the little weeds that grew by the body of water, and even went to touch one.

"Trespasser!" a deep voice cut through the air, startling Khimari. Turning around, he saw a bald man with a moustache, dressed in a black cape-like cloth, along with brown tribal clothes and white pants, as well as an unmistakable aura of power around him. "Why are you on Goldoan territory?" he interrogated the wolf, whose eyes widened as the land suddenly looked very familiar from the time when their ship got caught in a reef.

'Ah, fudge! Goldoa!?' he mentally screamed, while trying to maintain a calm façade in the face of the dragon. "Umm…I'm sorry," he immediately apologized, bowing down. "I only just came here through the cave from the wolf tribe's home, I didn't think that I was this close to Goldoa."

"Hmm…" the man grunted, looking at the wolf in rapt attention, immediately noticing the gem around his neck, as well as another feeling that he hadn't felt in centuries… "State your name," he demanded.

"I'm Khimari, the wolf prince," he formally introduced, hoping that he could use that in order to get some extra points in the case of this guy.

"You are the prince? You are merely an infant," he noted, his face and tone as stoic as ever. "…Seeing as you were ignorant to the cave leading to Goldoa, I can forgive this trespass, but do not expect me to make multiple exceptions," he judged, making the prince take a breath of relief.

"Thank you; but, a question, if I may?" Khimari responded, speaking formally as possible as not to offend this person. A grunt from the dragon gave him the confirmation to speak. "Who…are you?"

"I am Dheginsea, the king of dragons," he revealed, making the wolf's eyes nearly burst out of his head. THIS was the king? At that mention, he should've just bowed again and left through where he came, but being the intelligent knucklehead that he was, he just HAD to push his luck.

"The wolves…Are they here? Or, did they come here?"

"No…Trespassing Goldoan territory is forbidden, and though they did seek our aid, we do not associate with the outside world," he curtly explained.

"But why? They were suffering! They were being murdered, and for a false crime! You, arguably the most powerful person on the continent, couldn't do a single thing?" he blamed, his fists balling as his mask of indifference started to crack.

"…Go back to your caves, prince."

"Not until you answer me!" he stubbornly retorted, not exactly caring at the moment that he was talking to someone who could kill him with a thought. His anger was simply taking him over at the moment, overriding his common sense. "Everyone was suffering because of the humans, they were slaves, and then they were branded murderers simply _to_ be murdered! This doesn't just concern wolves, this concerns all Laguz, _including_ your people! Yet you sit by and let little kids and frightened mothers die?"

"…Leave," Dheginsea ordered, his face betraying the actual emotion he felt on the inside. In actuality, the wolf's words moved him more than anyone has in _years_ away from his rule of isolation because of the familiarity of his words, though a standard must be maintained. Goldoa's rule of isolation has no exceptions, even for their suffering brothers.

"What? You…" he growled quietly, his anger reaching a peak with the dragon king's position to simply watch his people be murdered when they were literally a _cave_ away. "Answer me…" he said quietly, transforming into his wolf form.

"You dare to make demands of me?" the dragon king challenged, the two Laguz royals staring each other in the eye. Dheginsea could only scoff at the wolf prince's folly, though he was admittedly caught off-guard when one of the wolf's eyes turned an orange-reddish, blue and red slits glaring at him. This still only managed to pique his interest at the most, as his look reminded him of… _her_.

"Yes, I do!" Khimari foolishly said, though his mind had different thoughts. 'What the _hell_ is wrong with you!? Are you trying to give yourself a funeral?' he asked himself, though his anger was simply too prominent to stop himself.

"Then you shall pay for your insolence!" the dragon king shouted to the wolf, before beginning his own transformation. A few moments later, a giant black dragon replaced the already large figure of Dheginsea, easily as tall as a tower, if not more so, his jet black wings beating with strength a hundred times more powerful than any wyvern. Khimari inwardly cowered in fear of the dragon, though his anger acted out first. Rushing toward the dragon king, the enraged wolf prince jumped onto him while biting his side. Although it pierced the Laguz's thick scales, the king didn't even flinch as he merely swatted the wolf away like a fly with a slap of his tail. It was worse than getting hit by the Black Knight, as he flew across the plain, landing at the bottom of the hill and breaking at least two ribs _before_ he harshly hit the ground. The dragon king stood over him as he shakily forced himself to his feet from the attack. "I will give you one more chance to leave with your life, prince."

All Khimari did was growl at Dheginsea, while standing his ground and flexing his claws through the dirt. Giving a grunt at the wolf's foolishness, the dragon took a deep breath as he prepared to fire his dragon breath at the wolf.

"Father, stop!" a voice went through the air, causing the two to turn their heads to see Kurthnaga, as well as the red dragon who was always at his side.

"You attack the king? You will-"

"Gareth!" the prince once again interjected. "Stand down," he ordered, the red dragon grudgingly following the prince's order. Walking toward the two feuding Laguz, Kurthnaga stopped as the wolf changed back to his Beorc form. "Khimari? What are you doing here?"

"I was looking through the wolves' home, and a cavern entrance took me here," he quickly explained as the dragon prince looked at his father.

"Father, please let him go. I beg of you," he asked of his father, who reverted back to his own Beorc form.

"I have given him too many chances. His insolence will be punished," the king merely replied.

"Father! You know your strength far surpasses his! Your attack would suffice as punishment, would it not?" he reasoned with Dheginsea. Honestly, the dragon king was feeling intrigued by the wolf, whose red eye turned back green from when he began his assault. That eye, as well as the energy exuded around the wolf, reminded him so much of the one he had known from the past.

"…This is the only time you get away with your trespass, prince. Leave," he said, before leaving the scene, and walking away.

"Thank you again, Prince Kurthnaga," Khimari thanked graciously as he bowed, not even concealing the fact that the prince saved his life.

"It is nothing," he replied. "Goodbye, Prince Khimari," he said as the wolf transformed again and ran toward the cave, which was still in sight from where they were. After some seconds of silence, Kurthnaga and Gareth then heard a wolf howl in return to the goodbye, putting a small smile on the prince's face.

XXXXX

"I'm an idiot," was his only thought as he got back from the mountains and to the outskirts of Serenes Forest, Khimari quickly had to get back to Reyson before the heron woke up and left to the altar to do whatever the Dirge of Ruin was. Going at his top speed, he ignored the seething pain that went throughout his body as the sun started to come up from the sky, meaning that the white bird Laguz would be waking any minute. Doing his best to traverse the muddy terrain as fast as possible, the wolf tripped many times but did not take the time to fall down, and instead just kept on going. When he finally got back, he let out a sigh that Reyson was only starting to stir. Transforming into his Beorc form, he finally gave his body some rest as he laid down on the soft ground, before coughing some blood.

"Are you alright?" the heron prince asked, seeing that Khimari was coughing blood despite his attempts to hide it.

"Yeah…I just got into a bad scuffle, that's all…" he downplayed greatly, knowing that he nearly got destroyed on account of him being an idiot…again…

"Well, that doesn't look too good," Reyson said somewhat worriedly. Even if they had differing views on Beorc, they were still fellow Laguz, and the wolf did help him out and save him a lot of trouble. "Maybe…I can help," he offered.

"You can heal me?"

"Yes. Our galdrar lets us do many things, and the situation is peaceful enough for me to help," Reyson nodded.

"…Okay, if you insist." Seeing as Khimari agreed, he told the wolf to come outside of the tarp, which he complied to before he started the galdr. Closing his eyes, he started to sing the song, the sound of his voice calming the wolf down a lot, as he felt his wounds start to heal. He started to feel much better, like the first time Reyson helped him out with the soldiers. After he thought the heron was done, he was proven wrong as the song changed, still soothing but in a completely different way. Feeling very drowsy all of a sudden, he looked to Reyson in wonder at what he was doing. "Reyson! What are…yo-" he couldn't finish as he was put to sleep by the heron's galdr, who panted as he finished the song. It took a great deal of energy to subdue the prince, who was fighting against the magic quite easily, to the heron's displeasure.

"I'm sorry…But the humans have to pay," he told the unconscious wolf, before taking off towards the Serenes altar to do the forbidden spell.

XXXXX

A/N: I…like the way this chapter went. To be honest, I thought at first "Who's gonna like this crud" and I was totally wondering where my brain went considering extremely smaller chapters and the order of events that MIGHT confuse people, not that anyone's said it was confusing, yet. I guess it helps separate the events too, instead of bunching it in a super-long chapter where I can't make you all suffer in anticipation for what's coming next. (Yeah, I'm an angel, right?) But all of the joking aside, does anyone has any writing tips that AREN'T vague? So far, I have to rely on the power of Venus and Neptune, but they're both in rather precarious positions right now…Lol, I'll bake imaginary muffins for the first one who knows what the heck I'm talking about. Okay, jokes aside again, I am liking the way these chapters are flowing rather than the earlier ones, specifically ch.15 which I hated, and right now 16/17 are personally my 2nd favorite pair of consecutive chapters, next to 10/11, which is simply something that I HOPE I can replicate before chapter…25, let's say.

Anyways, the end of that rant, I'll see y'all later!


	18. The Song of Rebirth

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Hey, guys! After the start of school which is AMAZING even with the work (Note, I've never said that about a school before), some smiling decisions, and a conversation with a funny person about meatballs (You know who you are,) here is the next chapter! (Note: There is a GIANT A/N at the chapter; read it so you'll know how happy I am!)

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done…_

" _W…ake…up…_ " a voice whispered in Khimari's ear, one that had been plaguing him since she, judging by the sound, first talked to him on the ship on their way to Begnion. Looking around, the wolf found nothing but darkness all around, which confused him because Reyson put his body to sleep, although it seemed that his mind was still awake. Never experiencing anything like this, Khimari tried to find a way out before a childlike giggle once again reached his ears.

" _Yo…u're drea…ming, si…lly. It's…the…only wa…y I ca…n talk t…o you righ…t now_ ," the voice responded, getting stronger as stronger as she talked, though the connection still seemed to be the same.

"Who are you?" Khimari asked the disembodied voice.

" _Yun…e_ " she replied, before a small flash of light started entering the wolf's vision. " _You have…to wake…up,_ " she told him. " _We'll…talk…aga…in…lat…e…_ " she said as the wolf started to close his eyes. In the physical world, a soft blue aura was surrounding the wolf, though it slowly disappeared after Khimari started to regain consciousness. Getting up, the prince quickly stretched, in order to get rid of the cobwebs that still lingered, before shaking the mud off of his fur. Looking back at where they slept for the night, he saw that Reyson made sure to cover his tracks, leaving no feathers on the ground, and even taking the bag of fruit Khimari got him, which extremely irritated said wolf the most.

"Oh, _hell_ no," he said out loud. "Knock me out with seid magic, leave me in a forest with soldiers from some human gasbag who wants me dead, but you'd better be _damn_ sure to give me some food if you're leaving me for dead," he ranted, though he forgot that there were still soldiers inhabiting the forest in his little…rant.

"Who's there?" a voice interrogated. Not caring for subtlety at the moment, Khimari jumped out at the asker, who happened to be an unlucky soldier whose throat was slit, ending him at the spot as the wolf jumped off of him and looked towards the other neighboring soldiers, which included a two mages and three myrmidons; nothing special. Baring his fangs, he pounced on the closest one to him; the aforementioned myrmidon quickly being dealt with before the prince looked at the two remaining swordsmen, who were clearly scared at the sight of the wolf.

Scoffing at the lack of backbone among the remaining four soldiers, Khimari whipped towards the myrmidon, who surprisingly managed to match the wolf's blow, the sword colliding with his jaws. Though he was a little shocked at the action, he just judged it as the goon being lucky as he quickly clawed his sword arm, before giving him another slash across his chest, effectively dropping him to the ground. Looking at the last myrmidon, the wolf quickly tried to get rid of him before the mages could finish their spells. It didn't take long, though his attempt to stop the mages were futile as one of the two; a sage, actually, finished his incantations, and his hand was glowing with blue arcane energy.

"Die, monster!" he yowled, throwing his hand at the wolf prince. Suddenly, Khimari started to see red, but not like he would if he was about to rampage. Before he could even think about what was currently happening, his fur started to stand on end, and his pelt started _burning_. Snapping his head up, Khimari saw a giant fireball coming down on him. Trying to avoid the big meteor, he ran as fast as he could, though it seemed as though it was all for nothing as he was caught in the fireball, which then exploded.

Howling in extreme pain, the wolf dug his claws into the ground as he felt himself being burned alive; no Black Knight or even dragon king could replicate what was happening right now. Viciously shaking his head, he tried to fight through the whirling flames, which seemed to be going on forever, until he simply couldn't take it. Fortunately for him, the sage was too tired to continue the spell, and the fire that engulfed the wolf ceased to be, though it already took his toll on Khimari.

Many parts of his fur were burnt, and were still extremely hot to the point where the wolf wouldn't even try to lick it for a while, not to mention that the blast probably fractured his tail in one or two places. As for Khimari himself, he felt like nearly all life was drained out of him, and was panting hard, fighting to stay on all four paws as he started to see multiple copies of the two mages in his eyes.

Trying to bide his time to recover as much as possible, the wolf snarled at the two as his fur rose and glared at them, trying to seem as intimidating as possible despite his real condition. Fortunately, it seemed to work as the two mages adopted a face of wonder and fright.

"H-how is it still alive!? My meteor spell should have left nothing but ashes…" the sage remarked, panting as the mage started to ready his own spell. Deciding to gambit with his life seeing as he had no other choice, the wolf closed his eyes and stood still, while taking a deep breath as he perked his ears. Trying to pinpoint the two mages positions by sound, he listened in as the mage muttered the incantation for his spell. Taking a deep breath, the wolf prince calmed himself as much as possible, the only sound he listened to being the mage's voice and his own heart, which was pounding as he prepared to leap at the mage in a do-or-die situation.

…As the mage finished his spell, he launched it toward Khimari, who was still concentrating on trying to find the mage's position. Digging his claws into the ground, he stayed his position as the ball of fire came closer to him, and all he could do was hope that this wasn't his last time breathing in this world.

The fireball reached him, and it exploded…but the pain was not nearly much as he expected. Opening his eyes, he saw a milky white light around him, and it seemed to be minimizing the damage around the wolf. He blinked in confusion for a second, until he remembered that he did have that nice little ability…His eyesight returned and clear, his anger at the two mages reached a new level as he growled with newfound confidence. Mustering whatever strength he had left, Khimari jumped at the mage with the intent of ripping him to shreds.

Clawing the soldier's arm, he spun around, slicing half of the mage's back before forcing him to the ground where he snapped his neck with a fearsome bite, and felt much better as he felt some of his wounds heal. Turning to the sage, his eyes widened when he saw that he was about to cast another meteor spell; a second one he wasn't sure he would survive if he got caught. Trying to beat the sage to it, Khimari rushed to him as fast as he could, but the sage finished his spell before Khimari could deal the finishing blow.

With the sage dead, the wolf let out a sigh of relief as it seemed that he stopped the spell in time, though he was quickly proven wrong when his fur started to stand on end similarly to the last time. Not even bothering to look up, Khimari simply ran. He needed to run as far as possible to get out of the spell's reaches, and thankfully, he did. Turning back around, he barely got in a look before the meteor spell exploded, absorbing both arcane warriors in the blast, and nearly himself as well. With a grateful sigh, Khimari simply laid down for a second, trying to give himself a rest before going to find Reyson. Checking himself over, he grimaced at the sight of some of his fur being burned off, knowing that it would take at least a week or two for it to grow back the way that it was, and his tail was definitely bruised, but that wouldn't be much of a concern unless he transformed into his Beorc form. Deciding that his little break was over, the wolf prince rose up once again before shaking his pelt, and raising his head to take a deep whiff of the air. He mentally smiled as he saw that Reyson had quite a heavy scent on him, and he wasn't very good at staying hidden when it came to concealing his smell.

Cautiously following the scent trail as not to get into another fight with the fat man's soldiers, Khimari trekked alone in Serenes Forest in a race against the Heron, who was on his way to the altar to do the forbidden spell. Hopefully, he could talk the heron out of doing what he said he would do, but if push came to shove, Khimari may have to do something he would regret…

Shaking that thought from his head, the wolf kept on his hot pursuit of the white-winged prince, trying to avoid the soldiers of Duke Tanas at the same time, and considering Reyson got a somewhat decent head start on him, all of the areas that he went through were Beorc-infested.

"Gah! Haven't you fools found my precious little bird yet!?" a voice shouted out, leading the wolf to hide behind some fallen trees as he saw the fat duke in all of his overweight glory. "I've no doubt the poor thing is quivering in loneliness and cold right now!" he imagined, before shivering himself.

"Duke Oliver!" a soldier who came into the clearing called. "The mercenaries that attacked your villa are in the forest!"

'What? Ike's in the forest, too?'

"Those peasants…They're here to steal my bird!" Oliver shouted, making the wolf quietly snort while rolling his eyes. "Their souls are black with greed and jealousy, but I will not relinquish my beauty incarnate to mere heathens! Only I, Duke Tanas, can have it," he proclaimed, making Khimari sick as he talked about Reyson as a prize.

"…I'm sure that's true, your grace, but what of the mercenaries, and the wolf spirit?" the soldier nervously replied.

"Pah! Anyone who would believe such a fairy tale is not worth my time! Hunt them all down like dogs!" Oliver said, making Khimari growl in anger, a little too loudly.

"Who's there?" the soldier questioned, while the rest of the senator's men readied themselves in case of an intruder. Holding his breath and falling into a crouch, his tail lightly brushing the ground, Khimari quietly stalked around the clearing to avoid the jumpy soldiers. Silently crossing the dull and brazen undergrowth, Khimari continued to make his way to the Serenes Altar, which was a clear giveaway because of Reyson's easily recognizable scent. Traveling through the black forest, Khimari stopped his search when a clear bell-like sound reached his ears, which led him to look up in wonder of what the sound was. One thing he was certain of; however, was that the sound was coming from the same direction that Reyson's scent was leading him. Praying that the heron didn't start the dirge yet, Khimari put a little more bounce in his step as he traversed the burned forest. Soon enough, he could tell that he was near the heart of the forest, because of the scattered relics that were buried and scattered throughout the forest's remains, and even though he was in a rush, he couldn't help but let his eyes wander the scene of where he was. Seeing all of this apart, he could only wonder what it would be like when the forest was still alive…

His attention was taken away when he heard the flapping of wings. Looking up he saw that there were three bird Laguz flying in the same direction that he was, though they were a little bit behind him. Thinking that reaching out to them couldn't do too much harm, Khimari let out a small howl, loud enough to get their attention but quiet enough as not to attract the senator's soldiers. Waiting for a second to see if they heard, Khimari was almost convinced that they were simply ignoring him until the three started their descent, lowering down until Khimari was able to distinguish the three.

The bird on the left was one who looked like a child, and possessed brown wings along with some faded green pants and a red shirt, while the one on the right had a beard, brown wings as well, though they looked darker than the other one, and wore a brown garb. The one in the middle; clearly the one in charge, as Khimari could tell, had many scars along his face, and had brown wings that got lighter around the edges along with a green jacket and black hair, and whitish pants with boots. "You, of the wolf tribe…Who are you?" the scarred hawk asked.

"We don't need to worry about that now, but can you help me?" Khimari asked, making the man scoff.

"Sorry, kid, but we have pressing issues of our own to handle."

"Would it happen to involve a stubborn white bird with anger issues?" the wolf retorted, making the three's eyes go wide; that description was pretty much spot-on.

"You've seen Reyson? Where? Why are you looking for him?" the hawk interrogated.

"I helped him escape from a fat guy's house, but we got separated in the forest. All I want to do is help him before he does something stupid," he quickly listed.

"Stupid? Like what?" the hawk echoed, his eyes narrowing at Khimari, who didn't have time for this.

"Are you gonna ask me questions or are we going to find Reyson?" he bit back, turning around. "I have his scent, just follow me," he ordered, continuing his search and leaving the three where they were.

"Oh, that impatient, rude youngst-"

"Janaff, this isn't the time," the lead hawk replied. "For now, let's just follow his lead." With that, the three hawks decided to follow the wolf prince through the heart of Serenes Forest, no one saying a word as the blue wolf led the three to where the heron hopefully was. About a minute later, that chime sound from earlier happened again, making all four stop for a second as Khimari closed his eyes for a second, before turning back to the three bird Laguz.

"We're almost there. Come on," he told them, before bounding off into the forest, forcing the three to fly pretty fast to keep up with the wolf. Weaving through the broken and black trees of the dead forest, it wasn't long before they ended up catching up with Reyson himself, the heron sneaking along through the forest into the dimension of the altar.

"Reyson! Are you well?" the scarred hawk called, coming over to the heron as he turned around to see the four who were looking for him.

"Tibarn!" he shouted in surprise, wondering how the hawk king knew where to look for him.

"How did…" he started, before his eyes drifted towards Khimari, who was padding up to the two bird Laguz.

"Nealuchi told us everything," Tibarn replied, before looking at the wolf as well, whose eyes bore into Reyson's skin with a look that couldn't be explained by simply looking at his expression.

"…Khimari…I'm sorry," Reyson apologized, knowing that what he did was wrong. "I know you're upset, but-"

"Upset?" he echoed. "Why in the world would I be upset?" he asked, confusing the heron for a second. "I'm borderline _pissed_. What in high hell were you thinking?" he growled, his eyes becoming slits.

"I cannot let the humans-"

"How about we run past this again?" the wolf rhetorically suggested. "We both hate Beorc, we both got our tribes wiped out, I told you to let it go, you leave me for dead, and you're _still_ acting like a spoiled brat?"

"Spoiled for-"

"Shut it!" the wolf hissed, making Reyson take an involuntary step back in fright and surprise. "Right now, all you've got are excuses. That's all you have. They're gone. Nothing's changing that. Hate as much as you want, do whatever this Dirge crap is, they're gone," he said, ignoring the fact that the hawks' eyes got wide at the mention of the Dirge of Ruin.

"…No…What I do is for retribution of the genocide for my family. For the forest!"

"…Do you realize how stupid you sound?"

"Stupid!? How can you-" Reyson exploded, before once again being shut down by a growl.

"Shut up…With every word you say, you insult everything your family stands for…What would _they_ say?" the wolf calmly rebutted, making the white prince stop in his tracks. "What did the herons stand for? Unless I was told differently, it was peace."

"…I know…They would be disappointed in me, and I would bring shame to my house," he admitted. "But even then…I cannot forgive. Those accursed humans even know violate the sanctity of the forest without a sliver of regret! Khimari…you know better than anyone my pain, and though you are right, I simply am not as forgiving as you. The humans will pay."

"…Hmph…" the wolf grunted, rolling his eyes in disbelief. "Not as forgiving as me? Where on Tellius did you get that lie?" he snorted. "I haven't forgiven anyone, and I'm very much still angry. Heck, I nearly got killed last night because I picked a fight with the dragon king after seeing what was left of my tribe-frozen corpses that unlike your people are frozen in time. That kinda pushed me over the edge," he admitted, making all four of their eyes widen at the accidental slip of what happened last night.

"You picked a fight with that old lizard? And you're still alive?" Tibarn questioned, getting a snort out of the blue wolf.

"Yeah…Not my brightest moment, but there's a first time for everything!" he said.

"…You've got guts…" the hawk complimented, somewhat impressed as the wolf did something that he himself wouldn't even dare to think of doing.

"Thank you, but now's not the time," he returned, before giving his attention to Reyson once again. "As you said, I completely understand. But do you really need to reject the ways of your people to get rid of some lowdown humans who are probably on their deathbeds, or at least overtaken with guilt? If you want them to pay, then that's fine, but don't sell your soul to the devil."

"…You…are right…" Reyson sighed, before Tibarn put a hand on the heron's shoulder.

"Reyson…Let's return to Phoenicis, and think of a plan. You are right in saying this will not stand, and the full power of the hawk nation is behind you. Humans will pay," he declared, making Khimari see that the hawk king was definitely someone of honor who wouldn't let pain stoop him to levels worse than humans.

"…As you wish…" Reyson commented. With that done, Tibarn turned to the wolf prince, though it was still unknown that he was the prince, much to the wolf's amusement.

"As for you…Khimari, is it? I thank you for taking care of Reyson. Our tribes may not have communicated much in the past, but hopefully, we can start building that bond together," Tibarn told him sincerely.

"…I would like that, and I'm sure the other two would as well," Khimari replied as he lowered his head for a second, making the hawk raise an eyebrow.

"There are more?"

"Well…Right now, wolf city is a population of three, but don't worry! The prince agrees to this, and the others will be in agreement as well."

"Prince?" Tibarn echoed. "Is he among you as well?"

"Yeah, he's here in the forest actually," the wolf continued, while sneaking an ephemeral glance towards Reyson, telling him not to say anything.

"Hm…Is there any chance you can take me to your prince?"

"Hm…No," he replied, making the hawks a little irritated at the wolf.

"Well, why can't we talk to him!?" the young-looking hawk squawked.

"Because…You already are."

"…" The three hawks stared at the wolf in silence, though the silence was plenty enough for the wolf who started to give a quick laugh of amusement.

"Well…There goes my fun for the day," he said aloud, before the sound of metal reached his ears once again, and this time it seemed as though they were getting even closer. Figuring that that was Ike and the others, Khimari started for the fight before he was called by the hawk king.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to carve a fat turkey open, and help my friends," he replied. "You wouldn't mind coming with me, would you?"

"…Alright, we'll come," Tibarn agreed, before the four went back into the forest in the direction of the fighting. Racing through the forest, Khimari ran through the black forest, stopping when he saw an arrow fizz by…Ike! Before Khimari could do anything else, that bell sound from earlier once again sounded, reaching the ears of the four, making all look at the heron.

"There's that sound again…" Tibarn noted. "Reyson, are you doing that?" The blank look given by the heron was enough to satisfy that question. "I guess not…"

"The forest is whispering something…" Reyson noted, closing his eyes. " _What is it? What are you trying to tell me?_ " he whispered in a different language, one Khimari noted as the ancient language that Volug always spoke. Unfortunately, he didn't speak that language in such a long time that he couldn't understand it that well anymore, though he could still speak it as it was the first language he learned to speak.

"King Tibarn! Prince Reyson!" the young hawk called the two, grabbing their attention. "Look! At that human!" he said, pointing to Ike. "That blue-haired human is carrying something on his back…" he informed them, before all of their eyes widened. "No…It can't be…"

"Is that…another heron?" Tibarn rhetorically asked in disbelief.

"But…" Reyson spluttered.

"I think that some humans-"

"All of my friends are called Beorc, thank you very much," Khimari interrupted. "You wouldn't mind giving them a hand, would you?"

"…It's against my nature, but we will aid you and them," Tibarn decided, ignoring the wolf's rudeness in interrupting him. "Janaff, Ulki! To me!"

"Tibarn! Allow me to go with you," Reyson requested.

"…If you forswear the forbidden magic, then you may come."

"Agreed," he nodded. With them all in favor, the Laguz jumped into battle, though Khimari immediately went to help Ike out, who was trying to fight against a paladin. Carefully planning his attack, Khimari slithered along the ground quick as a snake, trying to get as close as possible without being noticed. Finding a small patch of downed trees to hide behind, Khimari saw that Ike was clearly having trouble carrying the girl and fighting the paladin at the same time, though he was somehow managing to do both tasks. Pinpointing where he should pounce, Khimari slowly crept into the open, and waited until Ike was a good distance away from the paladin to attack.

The moment came when the two clashed once more, and the paladin's horse turned around to prepare for another charge. Jumping out of hiding, Khimari startled both Ike and the paladin, pouncing on the man and forcing him off the paladin's horse while his claws ripped through the enemy's throat. Confused about what to do after his master died, the horse simply scurried away from the fight, galloping into the forest's undergrowth. "Khimari?" Ike asked in surprise.

"It's me. I hope you didn't miss me too much," he remarked, making Ike huff in annoyance. "Let's hear it from you: What trouble did you get into?"

"We're fighting Duke Tanas' men, and Nasir found a heron in the middle of the forest, and now I'm protecting her from Oliver's greedy hands," he quickly summed up.

"Well, I'm coming back, and if you don't mind, I enlisted some…help for us."

"Help?" Ike echoed, only for his unasked question to be answered by a hawk that came and swooped down to attack an enemy halberdier with their talons. "Hmm…"

"I'll stay with you and protect you two," the wolf dictated, to which Ike nodded.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me; I still have a lot left to finish," Khimari vaguely rejected, though right now it wasn't the time to wonder about the wolf's words. Forming up in a way that would keep a steady eye out for enemies at all times, the two blue heads started cutting a path together to get to the senator. The first thing Khimari noticed was the sheer amount of horsebacks that the senator had at his command; they were much better trained than all of his other troops, with the exception of the mages. As a pair of paladins started to advance toward them, the wolf prince immediately took a defensive position in front of Ike, baring his fangs while thinking about who to get rid of first. In a somewhat impressive display of synchronization, the two horses both went in opposite directions, forcing Khimari to either let one get to Ike or simply stay near the commander. Opting to do the latter, he held his place, waiting for the paladins to come to them.

With a discreet nod of his head, both Khimari and Ike split when the two paladins came within attacking distance. Taking the one on the right, Khimari quickly jumped at him, sinking his claws deep into his leg, making both the man and his horse cry out in pain. Unrelenting, the wolf used the momentum to lift himself up and stab the Beorc once again in the stomach, causing him to slump over as the life left him. Quickly jumping off the horse, he looked back to see that Ike was having a hard time fighting the paladin considering he was carrying the heron on his back. Going over to help his commander, the wolf quickly scratched the horse's leg, making it neigh in pain as it started to struggle, throwing its rider off balance. Whirling around, Khimari deeply scratched the animal's other leg, and the horse started to buckle, making the rider vulnerable to attack. Taking advantage of the help, Ike ran forward and thrusted at the paladin's stomach, impaling the senator's lackey and making him slouch on his horse as he left the world.

With that taken care of, the two looked on to see where to go next, and their attention was quickly stolen when they saw Duke Oliver in the flesh, standing there with two halberdiers and some extra horsemen. "There's the human boulder; what do we do now?"

"We'll wait until backup comes," Ike decided. "It wouldn't do much good to go in there by ourse-"

"Are you alright?" Tibarn added, in his hawk form and closely followed by Reyson and his two aides.

"Can you try and distract the horsemen for us? That way, the senator will be easy pickings," Khimari told the king, who gave his consent in a caw before the four birds went over to the horsemen. At that moment, Titania, Mist, Oscar, Tora, Mordecai, Lethe, Maurim, Rikari, Tormod, Jill, Rhys, and Boyd all started to make their way over to the two.

"Khimari!" Mist called, spotting the wolf first out of everyone and running over to the two.

"Hey Mist. You're fine, aren't you?"

"I need to ask-"

"We're in a battle. It can wait 'till later, right?" he interrupted. Gaining a thoughtful look on her face, she hesitantly nodded as Ike told them the battle plan for the last leg of the fight.

"Everyone, all we need to do now is break through to Oliver, so let's just rush through," Ike decided. "Let's go!" Immediately, all of the current mercenaries there started the assault of the senator, whose face turned into a scowl at the sight of them.

"There! You heathens cannot hold down one such as I, Du-"

"Shut the HELL up!" Khimari roared, surprising everyone considering that it sounded more like a lion than a wolf. "I'm TIRED of your fat behind, I'm TIRED of you humans, I'm TIRED of ALL this political crap, and I'm TIRED of nearly dying, so SHUT the HELL UP!" he exploded, rushing towards said senator with the intent to do some damage. Backing the wolf up, the mercenaries handled the man's other henchman while Khimari took on the rogue senator himself. Basically ramming himself into Oliver, Khimari's claws scored down the thick man's side, making him hiss in pain as he tried to make some distance from the rampaging wolf. Quickly conjuring a spell, Oliver took a step back as Khimari came back upon him once again, this time biting his arm so badly that the bone actually cracked, making the senator hiss in pain.

"You beast! Nosferatu!" he called out, and a second later the wolf found himself surrounded in a bright white light that circled him, before bursting. The attack was different from regular attacks; instead of bleeding or something else of the sort, it was like the life was _literally_ drained out of him, the white string of light returning back to Oliver, whose wounds started to heal as the light engulfed him as well.

Growling at the overweight senator, Khimari leaped towards him again, this time set on ending this person once and for all. Clawing at Oliver's arm, he managed to knock the magical book out of his hands as he nearly cut the senator's hand off. Not holding anything back against this man, Khimari rammed his claws through his stomach, forcing Oliver onto the ground where he tried to hold the wound, though the wolf wouldn't budge.

"I know what you people did to my clan," he whispered into Oliver's ear, making his eyes go wide before he screamed in pain again as Khimari's claws twisted in his stomach, causing an even larger cut to appear. Jumping off of the human boulder, Khimari turned around to see the rest of the mercenaries finished with the rest of the enemies. Going over to them, he was about to ask some more questions before Tibarn and Reyson flew over along with the two other hawks.

"On your back…Who are you carrying?" Reyson asked Ike cautiously.

"Oh, her? I think she might be someone you know, but…" Just then, the heron on Ike's back decided to get off, and the commander gently let her down onto her feet.

" _Leanne!_ " Reyson realized, coming closer to the female heron until their wings nearly touched each other.

" _Reyson…my brother…_ "

" _Is it really you? This…isn't a dream,_ " Reyson told himself. How…did you survive?"

" _I…don't…that night…my sisters took me and hid me in the small shrine…I'm sure they sung galdr to me, and I became so sleepy…_ "

"The forest protected her…" Reyson summarized in a whisper, more of a statement to himself than to the others. "It kept her asleep for so long…I cannot express my gratitude… _Thank you, with all of my being…thank you,_ " he told the dead forest, closing his eyes as the two herons hugged each other.

"Hey…Khimari?" Mist called a little ways over, making the wolf turn his head to the cleric. She gave him a little motion to come closer to her, and he padded up to her in response, stopping when he was right beside her.

"Yeah, Mist? You wanted to talk to me earlier, right?"

"Umm…Yeah…I need to ask you something," she admitted, scratching her arm nervously. "When we were looking in the forest, we found so many corpses…Why did you…" It occurred to him that she was referring to the people that he killed a few days ago, when he had just found Reyson leaning on that tree. "Do you…hate us?" she asked, looking down at the wolf with her blue eyes, yearning to know.

"…Mist…I did what I had to do," he answered, with a stolid face that covered what he really felt.

"But why?"

"I was helping Reyson, and we got attacked by the soldiers," he explained. "I had to make sure he was alright, so I had to fight all of them."

"You didn't answer my other question. Do you hate Beorc?" she repeated, her eyes pleading with him to tell the truth.

"Mist, it's compli-"

"No, it's not. You do or you don't," she interrupted, and though she feared that what Soren said about the wolf was actually true, the cleric wouldn't judge anyone until she heard what her brother had to say about it.

"…Fine, I do. They've done nothing good, and I can only find reasons to hate them, no matter where I look," he answered harshly, breaking the girl's heart. "But…" Mist's head snapped up. "Remember, you've pretty much always been little Misty to me, and it's the same with Ike. I know I don't trust your race, but that doesn't mean I can't try, or that I don't like you guys."

Baffled, the cleric gave the wolf a surprised look, clearly not expecting that answer. "Khimari…"

"Hmph…You're too naïve for your own good…" he commented, making Mist cross her arms.

"I am not-"

"That's a good thing…Always make sure you're naïve to some things, so long as it doesn't put a knife in your back." Without waiting for the brown-haired Beorc's response, Khimari stalked away from her and went towards Ike, who was talking with Tibarn and Reyson.

"The apostle is here?" Reyson asked the commander.

"Yeah. We can take you to her, if you'd like."

"…I'll see her. Beorc, show me where to go," the heron agreed.

"Khimari," Ike called, knowing that the wolf came up to the three. "Tell everyone that we're going back to the apostle. If you need some help, Titania's over there," he mentioned, pointing over to the red-haired paladin, who was staring at a fallen tree in deep contemplation.

"Titania?" he called, snapping the warrior out of her stupor.

"Wha-Oh… Khimari. Do you need anything?" she asked him.

"Can you help me bring everyone together?" he requested.

"Of course," she nodded. "Here, I'll get everyone that's not in the immediate area right now, and you can get the others. And, make sure you see Rhys; your tail looks a little out of place," she mentioned, making the wolf give a light scowl at the memory.

"I forgot about that…" he murmured, before turning around to lick his tail rather roughly. After a small check, he was relieved to see that it wasn't broken, but only out of place. Sighing at what he would have to do next, the wolf took his tail and carefully placed it in his jaws, before giving it a strong yank in the opposite direction. A snap made Khimari slightly whimper in pain, but it quickly went away. Doing a few waves of his tail, he was happy to see that it was better, but it still was rather stiff. There wasn't anything he could do about that.

Heading off to do his job, he went over to the group that was already here, which was all of the other Laguz, as well as Tormod, Oscar, Jill, and Rhys. "Hey guys, get ready for the return trip," he told them, transforming back into his Beorc form.

"Are you alright?" Rhys asked, naturally concerned. "I mean, you were in the forest for three days…" he murmured, knowing the wolf didn't like to be fussed over.

"I'll be fine," he dismissed, before he turned his head to the other two wolves. "Say, how do you two feel about birds?"

"What?" Tora blurted out, caught unawares by that random question. Rikari too gave the wolf a look of confusion, because neither of them knew what the heck he was talking about.

"Long story short, I think we've found allies with the hawks," he summed up, his mind returning to the somewhat official agreement he made with Tibarn.

"Then why are you asking?" the red wolf snorted. "You're the one in charge."

"Well, considering there's only three of us, wouldn't it be fair to ask all of you before I decide something important?"

"…" Conflicted, Tora didn't say a word as he just walked away from the prince, and stood alone until Titania came back with the others so they could leave. Annoyed, Rikari let out a loud breath through his nose, before turning to the blue wolf.

"Don't worry; he's just in a funk right now."

"Hmm…If you say so," he replied, before turning back to the youngest wolf. "Say there, who taught you how to fight?"

"Just Tora and the other Laguz from the Emancipation Army," he answered. "Why?"

"You left your belly open many times. Now, against a Beorc, usually not a big deal, but against someone with experience or another Laguz, you'd be in trouble," he explained, making Rikari's eyes go wide.

"Wait…You were watching me? Weren't you fighting, too?"

"Ah, multitasking, one of the best gifts to people," Khimari smiled. "But that's beside the point. Try to practice more, and make sure to ask someone, okay? We don't need anyone taking a dirtnap here."

"O-okay," he stumbled, before he scratched his head in nervousness. "Will…you h-help me?" Not expecting that, Khimari didn't directly reply, only worrying the young wolf even more. "I-I mean, you d-don't have to, b-but y-you did say ask, and I asked, and you're another wolf, and-"

"Okay, first things first, stop talking," he gently directed, leading Rikari to close his mouth promptly and swiftly. "Secondly, if you're learning from me, you have to listen, and don't complain unless I say you can."

"Done!"

"In that case, it's nice to be a teacher," Khimari said, ruffling the wolf's hair much harder than necessary.

"Ouch! Khimari, that hur-"

"I said no complaining," he sternly reminded, though anyone could see that he was joking by the playfulness that was written all over his face. At that moment, he could see Titania coming along with the rest of the troops. "Are we all ready?"

"Yes, everyone's accounted for."

"Alrighty then, I'll get Ike and I can finally get out of this forest," the Laguz said, before going back over to his surrogate brother. "Ike, we're ready."

"You are? Alright then, you can just follow us," he then told the four bird Laguz, who nodded their agreement. With that, everyone started back to the clearing where Ike left the apostle. The trip itself wasn't too long, and they made it to her location in about fifteen minutes, give or take. When they arrived, they were greeted by Sigrun and Tanith, who at the sight of them went straight to the carriage. Opening the door, Sigrun helped Sanaki to the ground, while Tanith did the same for Elincia. Princess Elincia came over near Ike, while Sanaki walked towards Reyson until they were looking directly at each other. For what seemed like an eternity, the two stared at each other, their expressions giving nothing away. "So…you are the…apostle?" Reyson rhetorically asked, honestly a little surprised, because she was just a child.

"Yes, I am…" she replied, her hand slightly shaking. Then…she bowed down, looking at the ground as she got on her knees in front of the heron, effectively shocking just about everyone there. "I'm…sorry…I am ignorant as to what words of contrition will be appropriate to one of the heron tribe. Even so, I stand before you as a representative of my people…From the depths of my heart, I apologize to you…I'm sorry…So truly sorry…" she continued, apologizing profusely to the baffled heron, who didn't know what to expect, or do in response to her actions.

"E-Empress Sanaki! What are you doing? The apostle cannot bend her-"

"Hey, she needs to do this. Let her be," Khimari told the knight, with an uncharacteristic look of pure seriousness and eyes that seemed to pierce her very being. Slightly embarrassed, Sigrun did not say anything more, though Sanaki was still apologizing to the herons for the horrible deed done twenty years ago.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

" _That is enough,_ " the female heron interjected, making her way from behind Reyson to the apostle, with a look of forgiveness in her eyes. Looking up, Sanaki gave the white bird a look of confusion as she didn't understand the language.

"Leanne?" Reyson called, going over to her sister's side.

" _Please rise, Apostle Sanaki,_ " Leanne told her, but it was still hard to understand the heron.

"What…What is it you want? Do you…you want me to stand?" she guessed. At the female heron's nod, Sanaki got off her knees, and lightly wiped away the dirt away from her outfit before returning her attention to Leanne.

" _It is enough. It is not your fault,_ " she eased, though Reyson didn't agree with that statement.

"Leanne!" he shouted in shock that she forgave the empress…the humans so easily.

" _Brother…_ " she calmly soothed. " _It is enough, is it not? Forgive this child. Her apology…is so sincere._ "

"Leanne!" the angry heron quietly hissed, as not to let everyone know their conversation. "You cannot ask me to forgive them! You were asleep…You don't know what those humans did to us."

" _I do know,_ " she revealed to her brother, making his eyes widen. " _The forest told me…everything._ "

"You…know?"

" _Everyone…is gone…aren't they?_ " she rhetorically asked, putting her hands near her heart as she silently grieved.

"That's right. Everyone's gone. That is why I cannot release my hatred."

" _Brother…My loving brother, Reyson,_ " Leanne called, holding Reyson's hands with her own. " _The pain and sadness is in you, brother. It clouds your very soul. To see you like this…it hurts me…Please, do not lose yourself to hate,_ " she pleaded, on the verge of tears.

" _Leanne…My sister,_ " Reyson whispered, amazed at how he hurt his sister because of his hate. But, it would be impossible to simply stop hating them…though forgiveness would be a good first step. "If that's how you feel…" Turning to the apostle, he took a deep breath before speaking. "Apostle Sanaki…We…accept your apology. We may not be able to release our hatred of…Beorc, but you need not let the fate of Serenes Forest trouble you any longer. You are absolved of that guilt," he told her, and it was most joyous to the empress' ears.

"Th-Thank you," she humbly replied.

"That was well done," Ike complimented, before a thought crossed his mind. "But what about…" Following his train of thought, Sanaki's eyes immediately shifted over to the wolf, who was standing right next to Ike.

"Meh, don't worry Ike; she already apologized," Khimari waved off, confusing the mercenary commander. "In the cathedral, she dismissed all of her senators, as well as those two and spoke to me personally. That was a few days ago, so…"

"Hmm…Seems like you've been apologizing a lot these days."

"It was absolutely warranted, and I am elated to see that the scars of Begnion may begin to heal, even if only slightly. Oh, and prince, I did forget to apologize for Lekain's behavior; that is something that I shall address when I return to the cathedral," she added, though he simply shrugged it off.

"Don't worry about it. He'll be too busy trying to stand up in…about a week or so." In response, the apostle gave him a confused look, though Ike's eyes went wide before the Beorc slapped his forehead with his hand.

"Don't tell me…"

"Yep! A delayed reaction prank! One of my best to date, really."

"You _pranked_ one of my senators?" Sanaki exasperatedly asked, though anyone could see the corners of her lips raise in a smile. "…I shall make sure that all evidence traced to you is eradicated," she promised.

"Well, not that there was any to begin with, but thank you," Khimari thanked, while Ike simply shook his head in disbelief.

"How on Tellius did you the _apostle_ in on one of your pranks?" he asked.

"I'm just influential, I guess," he said, before Reyson and Leanne came over to them.

"Khimari, Apostle Sanaki, we are going to have a ceremony at the altar," Reyson informed them, before looking the wolf's way. "Khimari, would you come with us?"

"Me? I mean, no offense, but why?" he asked.

"Because, you helped me see right, and you did help me out many times without me requesting it," he admitted, rolling up a sleeve to show the splint that Khimari put on him three days before.

"Well…If you insist," he agreed, nodding his head. With that, the three Laguz regrouped with Tibarn and the other two hawks before heading off to the altar. "So…What's your name?" he initiated, trying to get something out of the female heron.

" _My name is Leanne,_ " she replied, though the long time since he heard it stopped him from completely understanding her.

"Your name is Lane?"

" _No, silly, it's Leanne,_ " she repeated.

"…Ok, it's Lanay?"

" _No…Le…anne,_ " she once again repeated, this time slowly so he could understand.

"Ohh…Leanne…" he finally said right, and was rewarded with a nod and a giggle from the female heron.

" _You're not too bright, are you?_ " she said while giggling, causing the other bird Laguz to snort while Khimari's eye twitched; he remembered hearing that every other day in Hatari from that old wolf elder who took a whole lifetime to sit down straight.

"Hey… _Don't say that,_ " he responded in the ancient language, drawing five pairs of shocked eyes to the wolf.

"You know that tongue?" Reyson asked in wonder, leading him to shrug.

"Back in Hatari, I had to learn both languages. Besides, most of Hatari either knew it or spoke it anyway, me included," he explained. Satisfied with that conclusion, the group of Laguz continued the small trip to the altar. A few minutes later, and a giant stone structure became apparent as it stood in a clearing that was surrounded by the forest of dead trees. The two herons were about to begin the ritual, but a thought crossed Leanne's mind.

" _Brother?_ " she called, getting Reyson's attention. " _Maybe we should let the others come._ " Thinking about it, Reyson stopped for a second before agreeing with his little sister.

"You're right," he agreed, before turning to Tibarn, who nodded.

"Janaff, go get the mercenaries. The apostle and the princess, too," he ordered.

"Yes sir!" he said, before flying back to the rest of the mercenaries that were waiting in the forest. Meanwhile, the two heron royals started to take their place on top of the altar, Reyson on the left of the casket-like object while Leanne took the right. Ready, the two stared back at the wolf, who was standing under them, at the foot of the altar. Slightly nodding, Khimari stepped back a little bit until he was able to see the complete altar, which was overshadowed by the gray recesses of the forest.

He didn't understand it, but he felt a sudden sense of nostalgia; it was like he lived this moment before…It was like there was someone right next to him, though when he looked, the only thing his eyes could see was the gray backdrop of the Serenes trees slightly swaying by the cold winds from the Ertz Mountains. His musings were ended as Ike and Mist walked next to him. Not saying a word, the wolf turned back around to watch the two herons, as they began their song.

Immediately, Khimari was drawn by the music, feeling his tail hair stand on end. He thought he saw something in the corner of his eye; a person, perhaps, but it appeared to be his imagination as he saw nothing when he looked to his right. "Hey, look!" Mist called out, pointing toward the sky. Looking up, Khimari's eyes widened as a golden light appeared from above the altar, before spreading throughout the forest. The most amazing part was, the forest started to become _green_ again, the light bringing back the forest's life.

It was truly something that seemed straight out of a fairy tale, entrancing and miraculous in every sense possible. Walking over to a tree, Khimari started to reach for the bark until a butterfly fluttered by his finger before flying away.

"Ike, Khimari! Do you see this? It's incredible!" Mist shouted, completely overtaken by the forest's beauty as she danced around on the revitalized grass. In response to the teen's words, the wolf gave a smile, as he decided to have some fun with the little kid. Transforming, he ran up to Mist who was completely surprised and fell down on the grass. "Ohh, why you!" she yelled, before trying to jump on the wolf, to no avail as he simply rolled over, making her eat grass. "Uff!" she grunted, though it quickly turned into laughter as she found her face was starting to get covered by saliva. As they played, the rest of the mercenaries along with the apostle, the bird Laguz and Elincia watched the two with a new angle of the world in which they live.

"That was excellent," Tibarn complimented as the two came of the altar and over to the large group.

"It's so beautiful…" Elincia added, marveled at the sight of the revived forest.

"The Serenes Forest, beloved by the goddess, is alive once more," Sanaki agreed, joyous at the sight that beheld her.

"You…have done so well, Empress Sanaki…You fill my heart with pride," Sigrun complimented, the holy guard commander nearly breaking out in tears at the emotions she was feeling.

"Hey! This is not a place for tears!" the apostle soothed, in her own little way.

"Sorry…I'm just so happy…"

XXXXX

"You did WHAT!?"

"Okay, Mist…Please calm down," Khimari tried to ease. He was telling some of the others what happened during his time in Serenes Forest, and he only started the story about a minute or two ago before he got to the part about him fighting all of those soldiers alone.

"Don't tell me to calm down! I tell you to take it easy, and you nearly get yourself killed!" she ranted.

"Well, technically-"

"I don't care! How stupid can you be!?"

"Very." That one word stopped the rampaging little sister in her tracks, as she didn't expect that response out of him. The wolf only gave her a sly smile before continuing on with his story. "Anyways, after that whole fiasco, Reyson and I found a cave to sleep in, and that was the first day. Early in the morning, I woke up and decided to go hunting-"

"Wait…Serenes didn't have anything to hunt then, right?" Titania interrupted.

"I went outside the forest," he quickly explained. "So, to make sure he didn't leave, I left him a little note in the wall-"

"Yeah…We saw it…" Tora then interjected this time, rolling his eyes.

"Is everyone gonna interrupt me every other sentence?" When silence graced his ears, he found it plausible to continue. "When I got back, we had breakfast, and he looked through my head with the peace-bird power."

"What did he find?" Nephenee asked this time, being the first not to completely interrupt him in the middle of the sentence, but to instead wait until he was done.

"…I don't know…I forgot to ask," he sheepishly admitted with a scratch of his head. Everyone let out a collective sigh at Khimari, wondering how he was still alive after all of this.

"How in the world did you survive being this scatterbrained?" Lethe vocalized, asking everyone's silent question.

"Hmm…Good luck and better friends," he answered, with a one-eyed smile that he loved to do oh so much. "Well, that and I'm not the easiest thing to kill in the woods," he added, and the others, especially those who fought against the wolf before knew that that statement was very true. "Back to the story, we left the ca-" He was once again interrupted as the door opened to reveal Ike, in a new garb which surprised pretty much everyone.

"Khimari, come with me. Now," he basically commanded. Sighing, the wolf Laguz got up and followed the Beorc.

"What's wrong with you? And what's with the getup?"

"I hate nobles…"

"Wait…Oh, they…Ha!" Khimari started to laugh, realizing that Ike was made into a noble. "So, how does it feel, _Lord_ Ike?" he joked, getting back for the times that Ike called him a similar name. His laughter only intensified as he was given a death glare by "Lord" Ike when they reached the apostle's throne room. The two were greeted by Princess Elincia and Sanaki in the room, who were the only two in there.

"Ah, Khimari. I must commend you on your actions in keeping the heron safe. You have my gratitude," the apostle thanked.

"It was my pleasure. What do you want from me?" he immediately asked, making Ike smirk as the apostle giggled.

"Nothing gets past you, it seems. You are to be made-"

"No thanks. Lord is not something I want to hear for the rest of my life," he immediately shut down.

"As you and Ike are close, it would be imperative that you, as a Laguz, take spot as a noble to ease relations with the other Laguz nations, as you have made a good impression on the beast and bird tribes already, excluding the ravens."

"Alas, oh great Empress Sanaki, I find it _imperative_ that I not be subjugated to such a demeaning title, as it simply does not fit the appropriate entitlement that a person rightfully gets. Princess Elincia isn't called Empress Elincia, and you are by no rights King Sanaki, unless there's something you want to tell us," the wolf smoothly-said, pulling out every stop to prevent this from happening. To Ike, he gave up on figuring out what the heck the two were saying because the toss-up of all those big words was simply ridiculous.

"If that was the case, then why don't you regale me with the reason that Lord Ike here is now in fact, a Lord?"

"Because…he's a Beorc, and he has a dark hair-color," the wolf shot back, making the apostle blink as she tried to come back from such a weird and confusing statement.

"…Very well, you shall not be made a noble. Though, I still have to advise you that it is not smart to propagate such rabble in my kingdom, especially to me," she play threatened, honestly curious to see what Khimari would say next.

"My apologies, Empress, but you must admit that this place can be…Hm…Dreadfully boring, if you will? Call it a trivial game of words and wits," he smirked. The empress gave an annoyed huff in return, though it was easy to see that she enjoyed the little "verbal spar" between the two.

"You two are dismissed," she said, and the two left to go back to their room.

"…What the heck did you say in there?"

"Ike, there's a resource that's great for learning words. It's called a dictionary," the wolf snorted, rolling his eyes. "Besides, you can just ask Soren or Nasir."

"Speaking of Nasir, do you know where he is? I didn't see him when we returned."

"Oh, yeah, I talked to him. He said he was going to sell the ship and get rid of the crew and all of that good stuff. So, count on some support from Gallia sometime in the next month or two," the wolf summed up, confusing Ike.

"What? What does Nasir have to do with Gallia?"

"Oh Ike…I thought you noticed," Khimari sighed, though he was promptly proven wrong with the blank look from the Beorc commander…err…general. "See, Nasir's a Laguz, right? Remember back from Port Toha, Dad said that he had connections, with…blu-bla-bluh, a Laguz. Now, is that really a coincidence or is a bad mouse making me paranoid?" he finished, making Ike think about that. It did make sense, when it was put in that fashion.

"You're saying that he was spying on us to see if Crimea was worthy of Gallia's support?" he asked, and was rewarded with a grin from his surrogate brother.

"You hit the cat's tail with a hammer! Don't do that in real life, though, they'll claw you to smithereens!" he playfully advised.

"That sounds like something you would do, not a cat Laguz…" Ike deadpanned.

"Ike, tell me who I am?"

"You're a wolf…who's also part cat…Stupid cats…" he muttered, before his mind started to think about which name would be more appropriate. "Or…stupid wolves? Stupid…culves?"

"What!? Culves? Oh my gosh, that's a horrible way to combine them!" Khimari totally burst out, laughing at Ike's expense. "Well, please, for my sake as well as Tora's and Rikari's, NEVER say culves…" he joked. "That's just degrading."

"How did you get out of being a noble?" Ike changed the topic, done with this "culve."

"A smart mouth and common sense. You have the common sense, but when it comes to sarcasm and speaking in riddles, only Boyd is worse than you are," Khimari revealed. "Not that it's a bad thing! I'd prefer some direct conversation myself most of the time, but all nobles are are…Did I just say "are" two times right next to each other?" he suddenly stopped, seeing as that wasn't something he did before. "Is that even good grammar?"

"You're asking me?" Ike shot back, knowing that he didn't know lickedy-split about all of those grammar rules.

"…Good point," Khimari said, seemingly serious, causing both of them to stop in their tracks for a second. A little bout of silence passed before both Khimari and Ike ended up laughing. "That's more like it. So…What are you supposed to be doing as general, Ike?" he asked, wondering about his brother's new job description.

"First things first, we have to go out into the city tomorrow and get new supplies for the journey, as the apostle said, then the day after, the other soldiers from Begnion will be ready and we'll be on our way to Daein," he told him.

"So…Are we allowed out of the cathedral now?" the wolf asked.

"Um…yeah."

"Wohoo!" Khimari cheered, throwing up his arms in delight. "I don't have to sneak out anymore!"

"I knew you would find a way to sneak out…"

"You know me too well…" Khimari snorted, though to Ike, he started to wonder if that was true at all after that happened in the past few months. Deciding to let those thoughts go for the time being, the two just went back to their room, where the wolf transformed, and started to sniff around, much to the Beorc's confusion. "Was someone else in here yesterday?" he asked Ike as he continued to sniff around the room.

"Yes…Mist, Titania, and Soren were in here for a little talk, when we found the cave you stayed in," Ike confirmed.

"Anyone else?"

"No…Not that I can think of. Do you smell something?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, taking a few more sniffs around the room just to be sure. Looking under his bed, Khimari started to survey what was under there until he jumped back and hissed, his hackles raising as his claws slid out.

"What is it!?" Ike asked worriedly, not sure what was going on until a small brown figure came out from under the bed. Looking closer at it, it was revealed to be…a cockroach.

"Agh! Ike, kill it!" Khimari told him, jumping on Ike's bed. That reminded Ike that the only thing Khimari was ever truly scared of…were cockroaches.

"Come on, Khimari…It's only a little-"

"I don't give a hot damn! Kill the thing already!" he shouted, making Ike give a small laugh, especially as the roach changed direction and headed towards Khimari, only making the wolf prince even more freaked out. In an act of severe "bravery," Ike stepped on the roach, ending its life then and there. Cautious, Khimari jumped back off the bed, staying clear of the now dead insect as much as humanly possible. "It's dead…right?" he asked, before Titania and Oscar came into the room.

"We heard someone shouting. Is everything alright?"

"Just a cockroach," Ike said, making the other two realize immediately what happened.

"Are you alright, Khimari?" Titania asked, going over towards the wolf. He hastily nodded, though he didn't say anything in reply. "I still can't believe you're scared of roaches…" she muttered. "I remember that you've killed spiders, you hunt snakes and you've let caterpillars and butterflies on your finger before. What's wrong with a co-"

"Those things are demon spawns!" he hissed. "The only reason they're here is to get crushed back to whatever layer of hell they're from!"

"Woah…Calm dow-"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" he yowled, making Ike pinch his nose while snorting in laughter.

"If you can't handle a little-"

"Don't you dare finish that…" the wolf then growled, giving Ike a glare for the record books. Unaffected by the glare, Ike smirked before turning to the two knights.

"How are the others?" he asked Titania.

"They're fine. From when I checked in on them, they were all in good condition and the injuries were taken care of by Rhys and Mist back in the forest."

"Good," he nodded. "So what should we do now?"

"For now, I think that we should rest. We did just finish a pretty hectic mission, after all," Titania advised.

"That makes sense. So we'll just leave tomorrow for the city." When the two finished talking, Titania and Oscar left the room, once again only leaving the two brothers alone. "…Khimari, when we go into Sienne tomorrow, I'll make sure to get you a cockroa-"

"Can you shut up about those things!?"

XXXXX

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

"Uh, yeah, Mist, I'll be fine. It's not like I'm alone," Khimari told the girl, after the Laguz decided not to go into the city, but instead, stay out in a little forest outskirt outside the city.

"Alright, then…Bye you guys!" she called out, before Ike came over.

"Mist, come on. You were the one who said you wanted to see everything you could, but you're just standing here," he told her.

"You meanie! I was just saying bye, that's all!" she retorted, as the two walked away after they joined with the rest of the group. Shaking his head at the two, Khimari turned around and transformed into his wolf form, before going down to the small tributary that was within just a few yards away from the forest's edge. Putting his head down to take a drink, Khimari got a few laps of water before his tail involuntarily twitched. Jumping back, he narrowly avoided a wave of water. Turning his head, he looked to see Rikari looking the other direction, as if nothing happened, even though his hands were dripping water.

"Really?" he sighed as he padded over to the young wolf.

"What happened?" he asked "innocently," his red eyes meeting Khimari's. The prince just snorted at the horrible cover attempt.

"That was horrible. The first mistake you made was believing that I would fall for it. The second; it's too simple, and it's a hit or miss, which is completely out of the question when it comes to pranking," he seriously reprimanded, making the other wolf blink at him with a blank stare. Rolling his eyes, the blue wolf once again snorted before turning back to go somewhere else.

"Hey!" he called, making Khimari turn his head back towards the other wolf. "Can…we start now?"

"Start…"

"You said you'd help…Unless you're busy or something! I mean, I don't wanna be pushy or any-"

"You're still a cub…" the older of the two mentioned with a little shake of his head. "Alright. Are you ready?" When Rikari nodded, Khimari jumped back and flipped, making a considerable amount of space between them. "Now, attack me. Whenever you're ready," he told Rikari, also drawing the attention of the other Laguz who came over to see the training session.

"O…kay," he said, steeling his resolve as he transformed, an orange glow surrounding the little wolf. It faded to reveal an orange wolf about half of Khimari's size with small streaks of red around his paws, making his pelt look like fire from the sun's rays. Surveying the prince closely, Rikari put pressure in his hind legs before he jumped at him. Narrowing his eyes, Khimari waited until the orange wolf was close enough before crashing into him, easily tossing him back to where he started.

"Come on! I'm nearly twice your size!" Khimari hissed. "Try again. This time, think a little more," he directed. Nodding, Rikari took a closer look at the prince. It was true in saying that the blue wolf was much larger and stronger than him, so he'd have to get him off-balance. Aiming for his front paws, Rikari once again pounced at Khimari. In response, the older wolf jumped back before leaping himself, and as Rikari landed on where the wolf used to be, Khimari landed on the orange wolf, forcing the two to roll around for a second before he pushed Rikari off with all of his paws. Landing back on the grass, the orange wolf got back up and shook himself off. "Better. Now, try not to be so predictable," he advised.

Getting a little frustrated, Rikari tried extra hard to catch his teacher off-guard. Looking Khimari straight in the eye, he attacked once again, but still aimed for his paws like last time. Remembering what the wolf prince did before in one of his battles, he quickly stopped his jump a few feet before he got to Khimari, before shooting downward towards the bigger wolf's belly. Feinting to the left to avoid the blue wolf's paw swipe, Rikari quickly tried to bite down on Khimari's outstretched paw, though he was quickly dissuaded from that as he felt a giant force come down on him, slamming him to the ground, _hard_.

With the breath knocked out of him, Rikari took a good second trying to stand straight and get his breathing straight again. With a shake of his head, he was able to get rid of the rest of the cobwebs from his brain, and stared back at the blue wolf. Feeling unaccomplished, Rikari put his head down in shame; the first day and he couldn't even faze Khimari, much less touch him. "Hey, why are you so upset?"

"Because…I couldn't do anything…" His answer was promptly returned by a paw to his head.

"It's your first day. Don't be so hard on yourself," he soothed. "Now," he continued, going back to his "teacher" mode. "First things, first, you need to be lighter on your paws. That will come with time, especially if you know how to hunt. Next, you can do a lot to an enemy, but it seems that you're much better against those who are either smaller than you, slower than you, or less experienced than you. What happens when you find someone who has none of those traits, you've just experienced. Now, come on, let's go again."

Done with their unofficial break, Khimari took Rikari into the forest, before the two stopped in the middle of the dense undergrowth. "What are we doing now?"

"Now, you're going to learn how to hunt," the older of the two answered.

"But I already know how-"

"One thing you'll pick up on very fast, forest hunting is completely different from places with no trees," Khimari interrupted, with a serious look on his face. "Now, close your eyes. Tell me everything that you can hear, and what can you smell," he directed. Following the wolf's directions, Rikari was surprised at how strong the scent of the forest was in comparison to the scent of Khimari, who he could barely recognize with the overwhelming forest smell. "Now, tell me what you can smell."

Taking another deep whiff of his nose, Rikari tried to match all of the scents as he relayed what he had gotten. "I smell…you, of course, and…trees, some grass…"

"You sure that's it?"

"…Yeah," he nodded, his eyes still closed.

"You can open your eyes now," Khimari told Rikari with a roll of his eyes. "Like I said, a forest is completely different from plains or a desert. If you're not used to it," he said, before his claws shot out past Rikari to a mouse that he never noticed, killing it instantly. "You can miss every little detail. In a place where everything's hidden, you have to look underneath the grass." Rikari was definitely confused at what the blue wolf meant, until he realized that he meant it in a figurative sense.

"So I should use my nose more?" He was happy to see the wolf nodding in agreement with his assumption.

"Yeah, and try to use it for everything; the people here, the weapons they have, even the clothes. After a while, you'll be able to recognize everyone in the company by scent, not sight. Practice makes improvement."

"Isn't it practice makes perfect?"

"No, because that's a lie. When have you ever seen something perfect?" Khimari retorted. The orange wolf, who had no response for that, simply stayed silent. "Well…Come on. First thing of hunting, you have to sneak up on your prey, but you already know that. So the next order of business would be getting as close as possible to your prey without it knowing you're there." Getting into a crouch, Khimari was close to the floor, his body and tail hovering above the ground as he stalked from one bush to the other. Putting weight in his paws at a second's notice, he jumped at a leaf, and grabbed it with his jaws out of thin air. "Get down low, and try to keep all of your weight out of your paws, so you don't walk around like some stupid dog or something," he told Rikari. Stifling a quick giggle, Rikari took the crouch that Khimari showed him, and the latter was pretty impressed that he nearly got it on the first try. "Take the weight off your left side. Try to balance…There ya go. Now, imagine that you're hunting."

Wanting to impress Khimari, Rikari closed his eyes and focused on everything he could hear. Clearing his head, he only focused on anything moving until he heard a small object scuffling among the leaves near the tree. Opening his eyes, the orange wolf leaped at the squirrel. Startled, the furry animal quickly scurried toward the tree, but Rikari pinned it down before it could make it. Then, he successfully killed his prey with a clean bite to its neck. With the limp prey in his jaws, he turned back to Khimari, who despite the neutral look on his face couldn't hide the approval that shone in his eyes.

"That's pretty good for a first try. Now, don't show off, or you might make someone jealous," he remarked, his playful eyes staring into the cub's. "I think that we've done enough for the day. Let's go back," he decided, much to Rikari's horror.

"But it was starting to get fun!" he complained, until the older of the two cuffed his ears.

"I said no complaining. Besides, I'll make sure to always have time everyday to do something with you, and you can usually ask in the middle of the night," he informed the orange wolf, who was confused.

"In the middle of the night? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" The only thing he got in response to that was a sigh head shaking.

"Let me give you a history lesson about the wolf culture," he decided, reverting to his Beorc form, prompting Rikari to do the same. Sitting under a tree, he motioned for the little wolf to follow, who did. "Now, at night, we wolves are more attuned with nature in general than other Laguz. Have you ever noticed that?" he started, making Rikari think.

"Well…Now that I think of it, I do feel weird at night sometimes…like someone's watching me," he admitted.

"Well, that's because of the moon," he revealed, making Rikari's eyes go wide. "In wolf legend, the moon is the spirit of one of the Zunanma, particularly the one who is mainly responsible for being the ancestor to all wolves. When she, along with the others comforted the lonely goddess Ashunera, she noticed how much she was infatuated with the stars at night, and of course, the moon along with it. After many years, when she was old and nearly dead, the goddess raised her departed soul to the moon where she could watch over her ancestors for many years to come, like us," he explained, losing himself in his favorite story from Hatari and his mom. He wasn't the only one lost, either, because the orange wolf was listening with rapt attention.

"So now, at night, she guides us and helps us grow by giving us the embrace of her light. That's a reason why we see better at night than any of the other Laguz. Even now, a wolf cub born on a night of a full moon is seen as a sign of great things to come."

"But what about when the new moon comes? Or when it's a crescent or half moon?"

"Everyone needs a time to sleep, right?" he rhetorically asked, giving a little laugh as the smaller wolf made an "ooh" sound. "As for the other phases, the crescent moon is a representation of our power; our fangs are strong and our claws cut deep, and the half moon is the balance of the world. The lighter side is peace, while the dark side is chaos. Together they remind us what we need to have in this world; both," he wisely explained.

"Wow…" the orange wolf muttered, utterly mind-blown. "Wait…Who's Ashunera? Isn't it just Ashera?"

"Hmm…" he hummed, thinking about how to respond to that question. "I'm honestly not sure…I'll have to do a little research before I tell you that," he semi-lied, knowing that it had something to do with whoever this Yune person who kept talking to him was. "That's the name I remember from the stories." He then got up, and stretched a little bit, getting some satisfying cracks out of it. Looking through the trees, he saw that was almost evening, meaning that they spent some time out in the forest. "Wow…it's kinda late…"

"Maybe we should go back to the others," the orange wolf suggested.

"Nah, we're good. Right Tora?" Khimari called out, surprising Rikari, especially when said red wolf popped out of the trees surrounding the two.

"Hmph," he grunted, standing in front of the other two remaining wolves on this side of Tellius. "How long did you know?"

"Well…You came when little Rikari here started complaining about not wanting to stop," he answered.

"You were there all this time!" the young wolf cried out, wondering how he didn't even notice.

"Like I said, a forest is very different from a desert," the blue wolf reiterated, before turning back to the oldest of the three wolves. "So, you heard of the little tale before?"

"…No, not that I remember," he hesitantly answered. "It still sounds like some fairy tale."

"I thought you'd say something like that. All I'm doing is passing down some good 'ol folktales," he said, making Tora scoff.

"Why? It's not like it's real or anything."

"We don't know that," Khimari retaliated. "Besides, sometimes a break from reality is what people need, even if it's only for a small while. Doing nothing but thinking about this, and that, you end up a wreck because reality screws everyone over, so fantasy is kinda like a counterbalance. In my opinion, of course," he explained, making Tora roll his eyes.

"I didn't come here for any sermons, and I sure don't want one," he scathingly replied.

"Usually it's what you don't want that ends up being what you need most," Khimari shot right back, staring straight into the red wolf's eyes with an unfathomable level of intensity. To Tora, it felt as if everything about him was an open book; the two different colored eyes immediately breaking whatever defense he could conjure up. After a while, the red wolf scoffed and looked away, pretending that he was unaffected by the prince's entrancing gaze.

But that was the hardest part; it was Khimari's gaze that felt like something was burning his skin off, revealing the deepest part of his being like it was nothing. Not bearing to take the feeling anymore, Tora turned to leave and go back to where Mordecai, Lethe, and Maurim were before one word was spoken.

"Stop," Khimari ordered quietly, yet so forceful that Tora couldn't resist obeying it. Turning around, he was face to face with the blue wolf.

"What do you want now?" he huffed, trying to not show his nervousness that the other wolf was giving him.

"We need to talk."

XXXXX

A/N: WHOOOPPPPEEEE! WE'RE FINALLY OUT OF THAT DAGGONE FOREST! Anyways, hey y'all, and just to tell you guys, school has definitely taken a LOT out of me, to the point where I barely even HAD time to do the story! Lemme tell ya, when you're staying afterschool nearly every day, taking ALL honors classes, AND trying to be a good Fanfiction author, it takes a HECK of a LOT out of you! So, let me give you the rundown of how this is gonna work: I'm not going to be able to update that much, so I'm gonna have to write in short bursts. (Don't worry, my short bursts are about 400-500 words per burst.) Along with that, I'm simply going to have to update whenever I can find a good time, because school is a friggin' full time job right now. Thirdly, It's nice to be BACK!

And the school, is freakin' AMAZING! All of the kids are NICE (I can't believe it either), the teachers are AMAZING, the clubs are AMAZING, everything is AMAZING (except the school lunch, but that's a universal problem.) Right now, my two favorite classes are Spanish 3 and my Biology class (Ironically, I can't choose because I love the teachers and I have a 99 in both classes :P), and even all of the other classes are a CLOSE third (especially English/health). Not to mention, I'm in DRAMA! You heard right! I'm doing a play! I can't tell you how surprised I was when they picked me, A FRESHMAN, to perform in the FIRST play of the school YEAR! Also, I'm sweating nerves because it's my first time doing any sort of school production that's not music related.

Speaking of music, I also am joining a nice little youth orchestra, of which my old orchestra teacher who I love dearly is the maker of! That's also something I can't wait for! I'm also trying to make some music, because I'm bored, but I literally don't know lickety-split about music theory. All I know are tetrachords, scales, and arpeggios. But, I've already made something that sounds pretty good (considering my ridiculously high standards for myself, pretty freakin' AMAZING!), and I can't wait to make more!

Well, that's the end of the how my life is right now rant, and I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, especially because it is like the largest since chapter…13? I don't remember, but YOU remember to fave, follow, and review!

P.S: 2,000 views!? What the heck, guys!? Thank you so much! Even I couldn't help but feel proud when I saw that!

Okay, now for real, lemme cut myself off before my rant goes to the next page. :P

See ya later,

Blizzard (Dang it, it went to the next page!~)


	19. Break Down the Walls

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Okay, I'm about to list off the many reasons why this story is so late. First, my computer was totaled, and I had to get it fixed, which costed a heck of a lot of money that really didn't help my family's situation any better (but in today's technologically advanced society, I have to have a computer at school every day.) Also, when I got the computer back in the middle of DECEMBER, I found out that the original ch.19 of Blue Wolf (some 3000 words) was COMPLETELY deleted, forcing me to start from scratch. But…I digress, and the chapter maybe a little shorter than usual just to get me back on my feet. Okay, well, get on to the story! (And to a little brasileiro, I found out that pluperfect is a fancy term for past perfect! :P)

 _Last time on Blue Wolf,_

 _"Stop," Khimari ordered quietly, yet so forceful that Tora couldn't resist obeying it. Turning around, he was face to face with the blue wolf._

 _"What do you want now?" he huffed, trying to not show his nervousness that the other wolf was giving him._

 _"We need to talk."_

"…" Tora stared, looking at the wolf prince in silence as time passed between the two. "…What?" he finally asked, when he came to the conclusion that he couldn't get anything out of Khimari.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, his unwavering gaze boring into the red wolf's skin.

"What's with you trying to _help_ me?" Tora shot back, narrowing his eyes at Khimari. "What's in it for you?"

"Making sure that you're alright."

"Well, what does that have to do with-"

"Yes, it does," the blue Laguz interrupted. "You're a wolf, and an ally. Looking out for each other is the least that we can do. Besides, it's not like it'd be nice to ignore someone's pain."

"…So you're doing this to be _nice?_ What, are you trying to trick me?" he cautiously asked.

"No. I don't do control tricks, just pranks. Look, I honestly just want to see to it that you're sane, at the very least," he poked, drawing a snort from the red wolf.

"Sane, or…"

"No…maybe sane wasn't the right word. What I mean is that we should at the very least look out for each other. It's the right thing to do," he amended, leaning on a tree as he finished. Tora's expression changed to an unreadable one, though it still betrayed the red wolf's feelings of mistrust between him and Khimari. Eventually, he sighed and put his head down in confusion.

"I'm done." Khimari gave him a blank look in response, simply raising an eyebrow as a way of urging him to explain. "Okay, you're no faker. I admit it. Maybe…We can start over," he choked, clearly not comfortable with admitting that he was wrong about something.

"Alright then," Khimari said, walking up to Tora before reaching out with his hand. "I'm Khimari, and I like eating fish," he joked, a large grin on his face. In response, the red wolf slapped Khimari's hand while rolling his eyes.

"Can you ever be serious?"

XXXXX

"Is everything ready?" Ike asked his little group consisting of Tanith, Khimari, Soren and Titania at the moment.

"Yes, all of the Begnion troops are mobilized and at your command," the Pegasi Knight relayed.

"We're all here and alive," Khimari lazily told the newly-minted Lord, giving a yawn as he scratched his side with his forepaw.

"Thank you…" he drawled, wondering why he thought that his surrogate brother would actually try to be professional. "Umm…So, we can depart now?" he asked Tanith, not used to leading an entire troop.

"Why yes. All you have to do is tell them," the Holy Guard deputy commander informed Ike, a hint of mirth in her voice. Ike took a deep breath and looked at the giant mass of soldiers around the large field, conversing with one another as they waited for their command.

"Nervous?" he heard a growl, making him turn to Khimari, who was sitting calmly to his left.

"Yeah, kinda. It's just…a lot of people to talk to," he admitted, drawing a snort from the wolf.

"True…Well, I'll help you out this time." Before Ike could ask what Khimari meant, the wolf prince let out a howl, bringing all of the attention to the mercenary commander.

Ike exchanged a quick look at Khimari, who nodded his head towards the now watching audience of soldiers. Turning his gaze at the crowd, Ike took a deep breath before he addressed them. "Alright! Soldiers, Greil Mercenaries, move out!" he called, raising his sword as the march began.

The road to Daein was already preplanned by Ike and the others. They would make their way to the border before the opposing country could have word of these recent events, and make a surprise attack to capture Tor Garen. All they would need was some haste, strength, and a pinch of luck.

Strangely, Khimari would not feel that feeling as he felt an ominous chill crept along his spine, causing him to stop and stab his claws through the ground for a quick second. Not wanting to fall behind, he quickly shook himself and padded his way back up to Ike, who looked worried, though he didn't say anything.

The long trek to Daein continued without much incident, and when the sun got closer to the horizon, Ike decided to stop there for the night. With that established, everyone started to set up camp for the night. The two blue-haired brothers, along with some other soldiers, decided to find some firewood for the campfire. Trekking through the woods, Khimari and Ike were collecting some more firewood before Khimari heard the soldiers gossiping behind them.

"Hey, what do you think about that guy?" one soldier asked.

"You mean General Ike? I can tell he's a newbie, but I think he'll be fi-"

"No, not him!" the first soldier interrupted, rolling his eyes before he got in closer. "I mean the wolf," he clarified, whispering so that he thought Khimari couldn't hear it.

"Oh…Well, I heard the Apostle trusts him, so…" he drifted off, not knowing what to say about the Laguz.

"I guess, but maybe a close eye would be better. Begnion can't get sucker-punched by those guys again. They _killed_ the apostle before, so who knows what they could do next?" Not wanting to hear this conversation anymore, Khimari picked up his firewood with his hands and his tail and went back to the camp.

It was hard not to say anything in defense of his tribe, but the people don't know any better. The best decision in that case would be to simply ignore it and move on, the wolf concluded. With a hard sigh, he threw the wood into the fire, which was already growing past a foot and a half in height. With the wood that Ike and the other soldiers collected as well, it was enough for the time being. His next thoughts were taken away by a growl of his stomach, which sent him on a quick journey to the mess hall where Oscar and Mist were serving the present members of both the Begnion army and the Greil Mercenaries.

"Hey, Khimari!" he heard a voice call. Turning his head to the left, he saw Rolf and Boyd along with Zihark and some guy with green hair and yellow armor. Ignoring what seemed to be a halberdier, the wolf walked over to the table where the older of the brothers was in the process of stuffing his face with food.

"Hey you guys," Khimari returned. "How are you?"

"We're doing great!" Rolf responded, his usual exuberance coming out full-force. "These soldiers are really nice people! One even showed me a neat trick with my bow! You wanna see?" he basically rambled while he seemed ready to jump on the walls.

"Woah, calm down there. Maybe you can show me later, but right now some food would be nice!"

"If a meal is what you desire, honorable puppy, then you must travel to the sacred cooks and receive your offering!" the unknown halberdier laughed, setting off a warning light in Khimari's head.

"Did you just call me a puppy?" he calmly asked, though his narrowed eyes contradicted his even tone.

"Why yes, I did call you a puppy!" he obliviously replied, being the only one at the table to not notice that Khimari's expression kept getting more annoyed by the second. "You are young, and a wolf, so you are merely a puppy! If it would not be too much of a hassle, I would ask to pet you, even!" he joked, laughing as the wolf prince's eye started to twitch. It only got more confusing as the halberdier stopped laughing and looked at him with a somber expression. "Why do you not laugh? Is Devdan's joke not funny?" he asked, appearing as somewhat genuinely concerned with Khimari's laughter.

"Umm…It's fine…I don't like being called a puppy. It's kind of insulting," the wolf admitted.

"I am sorry, but you must expand your sense of humor. If one gets offended by everything, how can peace be attained?" he asked after muttering a quick apology.

"…I think I get it," Khimari said, a sickly-sweet smile growing on his face. "Maybe it would be a good time to have a good laugh or two," he ominously agreed, warning lights in both Boyd and Rolf's heads going off at the foreshadowing of a prank.

"Okay, how about we go get Khimari that food he wants?" Boyd hastily mentioned, getting up and guiding the vengeful wolf over to where Oscar and Mist were working hard in the kitchen. "Oscar! We need to get Khimari some food!" he yelled over, and the two didn't have to wait too long until the horseman brought the wolf a nice, hot plate of food.

"Here you go, Khimari!" Oscar greeted, giving him the plate as he caught the look of emergency in Boyd's eye. That explained his weird behavior in getting Khimari food. "Please, Khimari, no pranks now."

"…Alright Oscar, no pranks will be pulled for _now_ ," he agreed, stressing the "now" to show that there were no promises for the foreseeable future from the blue wolf. Not wanting to be around all of these people, Khimari took his food outside until he found a comfortable area under a tree. Transforming into his wolf form, he devoured every morsel on the plate, even licking some of the leftovers he couldn't get with his teeth. Feeling satisfied after that meal, he grabbed the plate in between his jaws and padded back to the mess hall. Ignoring the strange looks that many of the Begnion soldiers gave him, he kept looking forward as he went back to the two cooks in the company.

"You're done already? No seconds?" Mist questioned, rightly so as it was unnatural for Khimari to eat so little food.

"Remember, I did hunt just a little while earlier," Khimari mentioned with a roll of his eyes.

"Ohh…That's why you weren't at the very beginning of the line," she giggled, laughing at the wolf who gave a strong huff from his snout in light embarrassment.

"Gee, thanks," he replied sarcastically, giving another huff as the cleric burst into another fit of giggles. "Anyways, it's past your bedtime. You need to get to bed," he told her, giving her a triumphant wolf smile.

"What? No!" she refused, turning around and crossing her arms.

"Don't resist. I'll just pick you up and carry you myself."

"…Fine," she pouted, stomping to the tent that she was sharing with Jill with half-hearted anger. Smirking in victory, Khimari walked out after Mist and went over to his own tent, which he was sharing with Mordecai and Zihark. It was one of the only three-people tents throughout the entire camp, but some people had to triple-down in some of the larger tents to conserve space. The whole sleeping arrangement went over pretty well; keep some people away from others and family members go very well together.

As Khimari walked into the tent, he was greeted by two figures in the form of Mordecai and Zihark. "Hey," he lazily growled, stifling a yawn as to be polite to the others He laid down while the other two returned the greeting.

"How is Khimari?" Mordecai asked.

"I have a feeling that something soon is going to happen that I don't like," Khimari responded honestly, thinking about everything that's happened since this whole Daein war fiasco started. He could definitely say that there were many positives and negatives during the war, even though said war itself wasn't good for any people involved.

"Why do you say that?" Zihark, the one who usually keeps to himself, pressed.

"Quite the nosy one, aren't ya?" the wolf cheekily shot back. "It's just that this is a reality of a serious war. I can't help but feel that something's going to pop off."

The swordsman let out a dry laugh at the retort before he stretched out a little. "Maybe a little curious. You are quite the mystery," he noted.

"And you aren't?" Khimari snorted.

"Fair enough," Zihark admitted.

"So…why don't we stop being mysteries?" the wolf offered. "I mean…why did you join us at that port place? I have no issues, but I missed that part of the conversation."

"I saw that you had Laguz in your group, and I wanted to protect them," he explained, his face growing solemn.

"That's considerate…although Laguz can take care of themselves pretty fine. I mean, fire mages excluded; those guys make my skin crawl."

"I know…but it was for something…much more personal…" he mumbled, going down to a whisper as he continued to speak.

"Is Zee-hark sad?" Mordecai asked. The blue-haired swordsman lifted his head and gave a sad smile to the tiger Laguz.

"Some things are rather…personal. I'd rather keep that to myself, if you don't mind it," he revealed.

"That's perfectly fine," Khimari soothed as a sense of understanding was made between the two. "So…lights out?" he joked, earning a snort that came from Zihark.

"Sure," he agreed, Mordecai giving his own growl of agreement as the three lied down in the large tent.

XXXXX

 _A week later…_

"Are we there yet?" Rikari pestered, walking along with both Khimari and Tora as the army continued to march to the Daein border of Begnion. They had made considerable progress across the Begnion territory since their departure a week ago. According to the scouts that they sent slightly ahead, they should reach Tor Garen by noontime, or even a little earlier.

"Almost, pup," Khimari replied, with the information in mind.

"Why do you call me pup? I'm 12 years old, you know," the young wolf pouted.

"Because…It's fun, and you are a young little pup," the prince retorted, ruffling Rikari's orange hair.

"Tora! Tell him I'm not a pup! I'm a grown wolf!"

"He's the prince, and your teacher," Tora commented, with a calm look in his eye. "It's good to behave…like a nice little pup," he finished, a smirk breaking out as his little brother gaped.

"Suspense…I like it," said prince commented, his own smile forming while Rikari was silently glaring at the elder wolves.

"Attention!" Tanith's voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention. "Tor Garen is a mere jog ahead! Begnion soldiers, clear the surrounding perimeter! Mercenaries, your leader has his own commands for you," she informed.

"Come on," Khimari told the two, weaving between the large crowd of Begnion soldiers with the other two wolves hot on his tail. Upon getting out of the large sea of red armor, they were greeted with the sight of the rest of the Greil Mercenaries.

"Nice of you to join us," Soren snidely remarked.

"Sorry honey, but it takes time to look this good," Khimari retorted, smirking at Soren who rolled his eyes before turning back to Ike.

"Alright, listen up," the mercenary commander started. "The Daeins shouldn't know that we've come this far yet. We're going to launch a surprise attack in order to catch the wall while the Begnion troops secure the area and prevent any unwelcome reinforcements." Thinking of another thing, he turned to the right, where Princess Elincia was calmly standing in her extremely noticeable orange dress. "Princess Elincia, please go back to base and wait for us to return."

"Bu…Very well," she gave in, nodding her consent.

"Don't be worried about us. We're prepared for whatever Daein has to throw at us," Ike soothed. "That, and you're our good luck charm." Khimari couldn't help but raise a quiet eyebrow at the statement, especially when the princess lightly blushed in response to the compliment.

"T-Thank you for that, but please be careful, my Lord Ike."

"Hey, there's no worries!" Khimari butted in. "Just because we're an army now doesn't mean we're going to lose. Daein's been a thorn in our sides for a while; just wash and repeat from here on out! Besides…Ike is a snooty noble. He can't lose or else we all will mysteriously disappear in the middle of the night."

"Hey!" Ike indignantly cried out. He was about to give a retort, but Elincia silenced him by pointing to the sky.

"My Lord Ike! Look! There's something in the sky!" Everyone looked over to see three rapidly approaching figures flying in the sky.

"Who're they?" Ike asked, squinting at the three figures.

"It looks like hawk Laguz," Khimari answered, recognizing the green feathers possessed by the hawk king Tibarn. His assumption turned out to be correct as the group of four reverted from their bird form to their Beorc form, revealing Tibarn, Reyson, Leanne, Janaff, and Ulki.

"Ike! Khimari! Well met," he greeted. "Looks like you're about to have your first battle as Crimea's official army.

"Yeah…I thought you escorting the heron siblings back to Phoeni-"

"You stubborn bird. You want to come with us, don't you?" Khimari interrupted, looking directly at Reyson before shaking his head. "You're something else."

"Wow, Reyson. This guy's already got you pegged," Tibarn joked.

"Yes…I wanted to show my thanks to you and the Beorc who helped Leanne," Reyson explained, before turning to Ike. "You treated us with courtesy. We must act accordingly, right Leanne?" he asked, looking back at his sister for confirmation.

" _Yes, my brother,"_ she responded. With that said, Reyson turned back to the blue-haired Beorc.

"You said that your name was Ike, correct?" he questioned.

"Yes."

"You and Khimari both aided us when we were in a time of danger," he said, holding hands with his sister. "Courtesy is held in high esteem among us herons. We must repay our debt to you."

"Ummm…That's not really a must," Khimari noted.

"We are wielders of sage magic. We cannot fight, but we can give our allies strength. If you say to, I will travel with you," he explained, ignoring Khimari's side comment.

"…" Ike didn't say a thing while he contemplated having Reyson as a part of the group. His abilities sounded nice, but he didn't have any way of knowing if it would be worth the danger the heron would get into. "Khimari," he called. "You've seen Reyson's magic, right? How was it?"

"Saved my life. Dumb bird, great partner, alright friend," the wolf commented, earning a stink eye from the "dumb bird."

"…You can come with us," Ike decided. "But…you were lucky to find your sister; are you sure you don't want to be by her side?"

"Leanne understands what I do," Reyson answered, a nod from the former solidifying his claim.

"Welcome along, then," Ike welcomed.

"Thank you. I swear by my clan's honor that I will do anything possible in order to strengthen your cause."

"In that case," Tibarn cut in. "You'll get some aid from me as well. Janaff! Ulki!" he called.

"Right here, Your Majesty!" the peppy elder said.

"Go with the Crimean Army and protect Reyson," he told Janaff.

"Tibarn!" Reyson yelled in surprise. "This is too much! You're already watching over Leanne and our father as well."

"After all of these twenty years, I'm sorry that I can't do more," Tibarn solemnly said.

"Tibarn…Thank you," Reyson told his longtime friend.

"King Phoenicis, I promise that I will guard Reyson well. I'll return him safely to you when this whole ordeal is over," Ike committed.

"I'll take you on your word," the green hawk replied. "You have created a bond of trust between yourself and the heron and hawk clans. If you ever find yourself in a grave position, you can call on me. I will fly to your aid as soon as possible." After giving Ike his support, he turned to Leanne and motioned towards the sky. She nodded and started to flap her wings. Transforming, Tibarn stayed close to the female heron as the two left the Greil Mercenaries.

"We have gained a valuable ally in a place not expected, haven't we?" Elincia commented.

"Yeah…The beast and bird tribes… At long last there is no difference between us. We can understand each other."

"Yes, I think you're right," the Crimean princess agreed.

"Princess Elincia, it's time to return to base," Ike reminded her, before turning to the rest of the group. "Alright, it's time we get this started! Everyone, move out!"

The princess turned back and left for the base with a small group of those who weren't participating in the battle, which were only three people or so.

The Mercenaries prepared to begin their climb of Tor Garen, when Khimari heard the sound of wing beats coming from the nearby woods. "Ike, I think we might have some wyverns on our tails," he informed.

"What? They didn't know we were here…Did they?" Ike said, caught unaware by the revelation of incoming wyvern knights. "Okay, then we'll adjust. Astrid, Gatrie, Oscar, Brom, Tormod, Maurim, go handle those wyvern knights and protect the entranceway from any other unexpected reinforcements," he ordered. Said people left from the group to do their designated task as the enemy soldiers started to file in at the entrance of the fortress. Forming a group with Rolf and Rikari, Khimari led them to the first wave of soldiers, some lance wielders and a bowman in the rear.

"Rolf, stay clear of the lances. Rikari, come on," Khimari quickly commanded. The two wolves charged forward before Khimari stopped right in front of the troops. While Rikari attacked a soldier head-on, the prince jumped straight for another's neck, biting it before turning around and slashing the third soldier in the same place.

Looking back at Rolf for a second, Khimari saw that he had gotten rid of both the halberdier and the enemy bowman by the time the wolf himself finished his enemies. "Good jo-" he started, before a chill went up his spine. The weather was also getting colder… "Run!" Khimari said, realizing that this was the work of a Blizzard spell. Both Rolf and Rikari followed his lead, ducking behind a wall just a few seconds before the makeshift wall of ice broke into a chaotic hurricane of ice shards.

"Are you two alright?" Khimari checked.

"Yeah, we're fine," the young wolf confirmed.

"Let's go back and keep up our advance. Volke!" he called, seeing the thief picking a treasure chest lock right behind the three.

"What?" he casually queried.

"Go tell Ike that there's a mage with a Blizzard spell, just rob Boyd for the payment; he keeps all of his earnings in a blue-green cookie jar that he hides in the back pocket of his sleeping bag," he quickly explained.

"Fair enough," the enigmatic stealer agreed before disappearing to go to Ike the news.

"Ummm…Won't Boyd be mad?" Rolf asked.

"What Boyd doesn't know won't hurt him. He'll just be broke, but meh, he'll be fine," the blue wolf reassured Boyd's younger brother. "Come on," he told the two, closing down any discussion on that topic as he led the two along the main path along the fortress. The central part of the mercenary force had went considerably deep into the Daein ranks, Ike and the others fighting a sage, a, a fighter, and a warrior. Seeing a knight and a bishop further back, the makeshift group of three went past Ike's group to take care of it.

Khimari and Rikari double teamed the knight, going on both sides of the heavily-armored Daein soldier. Said soldier chose to go after Khimari, while leaving his back completely unguarded against the orange wolf. Rikari took the opportunity and slashed at the man's backside, leaving a considerably deep scratch in his armor. The knight turned around to confront him, only to be slashed in the back by Khimari, who then bit on his arm, his fangs breaking through the armor and piercing the knight's arm. Rikari gave the finishing blow with another slash to his back, bringing him down.

"Good," Khimari praised. He looked for Rolf, but was mystified when he wasn't behind the two. His questions to the archer's whereabouts were answered by a quiet sob by Rolf.

"It..It's not fair…" the youngest brother cried, attracting the two wolves to the boy.

"Rolf, what's wron-" Khimari asked before he saw a smug and ugly face that he NEVER wanted to see again in his life.

"Oh HELL NO!" the wolf growled in extreme disgust, a disgust that only deepened when the sniper gave that irritating smirk on his face.

"After all this time, all you do is bark," Shinon taunted, pulling out an arrow from his quiver.

"Trust me, dirtbag, my bite is a _whole_ lot worse," Khimari shot back, readying himself before pouncing. Shinon quickly fired his first arrow, which was the wolf easily avoided. Khimari continued avoiding the sniper's arrows until one nicked him in the shoulder. It was _burning_ ; it was like poison to him. Hissing, the wolf narrowed his eyes at the sniper, who smirked at his pain.

"Laguz Bow. One of the greatest weapons for demons like you," he insulted, throwing Khimari into a near frenzy. Renewing his assault on the sniper, Khimari slithered forward like a snake, reaching the sniper in seconds. As a last-resort defense, Shinon quickly reached by his side and pulled out a dagger, clashing with Khimari's claws. Now in close combat, Shinon's advantage virtually disappeared, becoming slowly littered with cuts and scratches, although none critical blows.

"Dang…Thing…Lay down and die for me, will ya?" Shinon huffed under his breath.

"No thanks, but it sounds like a great job for you," the wolf prince retorted. With that, he charged once again, another close range clash occurring. Shinon tried to block as much as possible against the wolf, but his proficiency with the dagger wasn't enough to deter the angry Laguz. In an attempt to turn the tables, Shinon stabbed at the wolf, cutting a little deeply into his belly. However, in spite of hurting Khimari, the red-haired sniper left himself open for much worse.

Capitalizing on Shinon's mistake, Khimari quickly sank his teeth into Shinon's arm before twisting his body, his fangs almost creating a circle of blood from the sniper's arm. Not giving the Laguz hater any reprieve, he pounced once again, scratching Shinon's body quite deeply all the way across his stomach. The sniper clutched himself, crashing onto the cold ground of the fortress while using his free hand to try and keep blood from freely flowing from his body.

"Damn…Beat by…a mutt…" he choked. Khimari relished the victory, and prepared himself to put the sniper out of his misery, before an anguished voice found its way to his ears.

"Khi…mari," Rolf called, making the wolf turn around to see him. Rolf was in shambles, tears running down his face and his whole body conversing in worry. "Please…Don't…" Before Khimari could mutter any response, Ike and the rest of the group converged on the scene, causing a large uproar at what they saw.

"Khimari! What's going on?" Ike asked, while Boyd immediately came to Rolf's side to check for anything.

"…Get Mist and Rhys, please," Khimari asked, avoiding the question.

"Why do you need-" he started before he saw the bloodied body of Shinon lying next to a wall. "Shinon?!" he shouted in shock. "Quick, get Rhys and Mist, Titania!" he told the paladin, who quickly left to retrieve the two healers. "Khimari, what happened? Tell me everything."

"I got into a fight with Shinon. That's the end result," he said, cutting to the chase short-and-simple.

"…Okay, but why do you want to heal him?" Ike continued, knowing that Khimari would much rather prefer the sniper dead than alive.

"If it was up me, his head would be rolling," the wolf retorted. "But…It's for Rolf. I can't do that to him," he admitted, knowing that the relationship that the two bowmen possessed, while still suspicious and sneaky in his eyes, was a heavy part of Rolf's development.

The chat between the two was cut short as two bird caws pierced the air. The group readied itself, though shockingly, the incoming enemies were ravens! Quickly, Marcia, Janaff and Ulki took to the sky to meet the ravens on their turf, while the rest went to attack the grounded mercenaries.

"Everyone! Protect Rhys and Mist while they heal Shinon!" Ike ordered. Creating a defensive wall from the ravens and the three, along with Rikari who untransformed from weariness, the group began to go head to head against the Kilvas ravens.

Almost instantly, two ravens went down on account of Soren's magic and Rolf's arrows, giving a desperately needed morale boost against the unexpected enemies. Tora and Khimari both rounded on one raven, the two not giving the crow any space to attack either one of the two. The large bird found its end with a well-timed double bite done by the two wolves, bringing down the black menace. It apparently took them longer than the others, because most of the others had already left to confront the enemy commander by the time they finished.

"Should we keep going?" Tora asked.

"…We can go and check, but I don't think that they'll need any help," Khimari shakily decided. The two followed the trail of the fortress to see Ike and Soren dispatching an enemy wind sage, who seemed to be the commander of the Daein platoon. "Are you all finished?" he asked.

"Yes, all of the Daeins are either gone or handled. Begnion is taking care of the rest from here," Ike relayed. "Now…we have another issue to handle." Khimari's face darkened as he knew that the commander meant Shinon. Knowing that he couldn't get out of this, he simply sighed and put his head to the sky in a lax position. "Come on, everyone. We're going back to base," he told all the mercenaries. Looking at his surrogate brother, he quickly motioned for him to come here. "Whatever you do, please make sure that no Laguz are near Shinon for the time being," he told the wolf prince.

"…Can I get some fish?" Khimari asked, making Ike sigh in disbelief. "Alright, alright, I'll do it."

XXXXX

"This is getting really annoying," Khimari growled, obviously unhappy about something.

"Come on, Khimari. Ike wants to speak to Shinon alone," Oscar tried to calm. "All we can do is wait for the verdict."

"Guilty," Khimari said in a singsong voice. "…He's gonna ask the pink-haired nut to come back again."

"Why can't you accept it?" Boyd asked obliviously. Khimari simply gave him a blank look.

"…Really?" he retorted, not even having the need to come up with a sarcastic retort.

"Okay, so he hates you...and Laguz…and tried to kill you…and has always despised you…and has-"

"Boyd, you're not making Shinon's case any better for Khimari," Oscar interrupted.

"Don't worry, no one can change my mind about this," said wolf reassured.

"Not even-"

"ESPECIALLY not Gatrie." That seemed to shut Boyd down. The conversation derailed nearly instantly when Titania came in the tent.

"How are you doing?" she asked softly.

"Boyd's annoying the crap out of me with all of these horrible reasons why I should accept Shinon being a part of the group again," the wolf explained, much to the middle brother's chagrin.

"Hey!" Boyd cried. "You aren't supposed to tell-"

"Cut the crap," Khimari intervened, clearly in a bad mood over the whole situation. "If Ike wants the hu… _him_ to come back, it's only for Rolf's wellbeing," he finalized, impressing Titania once again with how much displeasure he's willing to hold back to make the youngest of the group happy.

"Why would Rolf need Shinon?" Boyd questioned.

"That's who taught him," the wolf answered like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"What…OOOOHHH!" Boyd finally realized as it clicked in his head. "I knew he couldn't be that good!" he triumphantly remarked. "Wait…How did you know?" he asked Khimari.

"I have my ways," he vaguely responded. "But as for you, don't say anything, pretend you're still too dense to figure it out."

"Hey, I'm not…too…Okay, I get the point, stop staring at me like that," Boyd gave in from seeing the looks on Oscar's, Titania's, and Khimari's faces.

"As entertaining as this is, I'm going to see how Ike is doing with Shinon," Titania said.

"I'll go with you," the wolf joined, before looking back at the two brothers. "You coming too?"

"Nah, we'll let you handle it," Boyd answered lazily, raising a hand to say bye. Leaving the tent, Titania and Khimari started for Ike's tent where Shinon was until they heard the sound of someone hitting the ground. Wondering what it was, the two walked over to the clearing at camp to see Shinon on the ground with a sword at his chest.

"That settles it," Ike said, unaware of the presence of both his surrogate brother and deputy commander. "Shinon, you're coming back."

"Tch…Beat by a mutt, then a kid," the sniper spat, getting up and dusting himself off. "You get your way," he conceded, before walking away from the commander.

"What…was that?" Khimari questioned.

"Yes, that would the prominent question at the moment," Titania piggybacked, making Ike sigh at the reactions that he would receive, particularly from his brother, when he answered the question.

"I was trying to get Shinon to join the Greil Mercenaries again…I…agreed to a challenge that he proposed…If I won, then he would fall in line," he started to explain.

"And if you lost?" Khimari pressed, narrowing his eyes at the thought of what Ike might agree to.

"If I lost…Shinon became leader of the Greil Mercenaries."

"…That was a very risky gambit," Titania observed. "Don't you think that there could have been better ways of recruiting Shinon back into the ranks."

"Yeah, gag him and tie him to a tree by his ankles," the wolf snorted, drawing confounded looks his direction. "What? Just offering suggestions."

"Anyways," Ike continued, ignoring the blue wolf. "What matters is that Shinon is here now, and staying this time," he finalized, Titania in agreement with that.

"…Meh, I think he never should've left," Khimari added, drawing more curious looks from the two commanders. "We could have left him in Goldoa, or maybe even shoved him in the ocean! Do you think that the ravens would have given him something to think about?" he mumbled, returning to his thinking of ways to punish Shinon.

"Okay, how about this," Ike started, stopping Khimari's trail of loud thinking when some of the options started to get…graphic. "Let's focus on Daein first, then you trying to kill Shinon, alright?"

"…Can I prank him?" he asked, feigning ignorance to Ike's words.

"Warn all of the Greil Mercenaries before you do it, and make sure no Begnion soldiers are involved. Also, nothing that will take him out of battle or deplete our resources," Ike listed, making sure that some of the wolf's more…dangerous pranks were taken off the list.

"Does diarrhea count?"

"YES!" Ike screamed, knowing exactly what hellish "prank" that Khimari was talking about.

"Are you still-"

"Khimari, I'm ordering you not to talk about that until next week at the very least," Ike said, showing how serious he felt about the prank.

"Alright…Your wish is my command, general," the wolf replied, before another soldier came up to the two, more specifically, to Ike.

"General! We've seized control of the surrounding areas, and the Daein troops are retreating," he relayed, before seeing that something was off with Ike. "General?" he called, snapping him out of his stupor.

"Understood. Thank you," Ike responded.

"I beg your leave," the soldier requested. When Ike nodded, he left the brothers back to their bidding.

"Are you alright, Ike?" Khimari asked, wondering what was wrong. It didn't get through; however, as Ike returned to his stupor.

"General…weird," he said to himself, clearly not used to the title. Khimari moved to say something, but another voice behind them beat him to it.

"You know, you never look relaxed," someone said, snapping Ike out of his stupor as Khimari turned around to see the face of Nasir.

"Nasir? What are you doing here?" Khimari questioned. "I thought you were selling your crew and stuff."

"Why, I already did all of that," he answered with a hint of laughter in his voice. "Now, I've decided to travel with you all."

"So you really are a part of our struggle now, eh?" Ike rhetorically asked. "Are you sure about this? I mean, you probably have other things that you could do instead of this?"

"It's not like I've abandoned my own interests to join your party," Nasir said. "I've judged that there is a value of traveling with you, so don't think about it too much," he eased.

"Alrighty!" Khimari cheered. "We've got the smart guy back!" He celebrated for a second before he remembered what he told Ike in Sienne. "Hey Nasir?" he called.

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to have any news about Dad or Gallia, would you? I kinda miss him…" he asked, knowing that the Laguz had relations with the beast kingdom.

"Your father is fine and in good health," Nasir confirmed, bringing a sense of relief to the wolf. "I heard that he got into a skirmish with the infamous Black Knight, however."

"What!?" Khimari yowled, knowing that the Daein general mentioned anywhere wasn't good news.

"Fret not, young one. He did have injuries, but he managed to escape, by what I heard," Nasir added, calming the wolf down. "In additional news, much better, Gallia officials are starting to move into action," he informed, catching their undivided attention. "For a long while, they've been content in waiting the war out, but now this perpetuated stalemate has exhausted their patience. Ike," he started, bringing the conversation directly to the commander. "Your victory here is an important thing. This may be just the decisive action to break apart Daein's power. News of your continued victories will spread across the continent, undoubtedly to the Gallian's ears as well. If Crimea continues to become a rallying point, Gallia may be tempted to join the war as well. Keep on winning, and the door to victory will open to you and your cause," he explained.

Ike was in deep thought, thinking about what the teal-haired man said. Could he really be the thing that defeats Daein? "Could…Daein truly fall at our hands?"

"If we play our cards right, I don't see why not," Khimari mentioned, Nasir nodding his head in agreement with the prince's statement.

"Use every resource that becomes available to you and your cause, and great things will come of it. The necessary skills to lead are inside of you, Ike. As of now, it's only a part of the bird tribes, but the relationship has already been established. You resolved yourself in gaining their trust, and you made it come to fruition."

"Well…It's all because of my father," Ike praised solemnly. If anything I do turns out to be the right way to victory, it's because of the way my father raised me to be. "If you treat others with good faith, they will follow you of their own volition." That's what he taught me," Ike said in a somber tone.

"He was…a magnificent man, wasn't he?" Nasir asked, thinking about the quote that Ike supplied to him.

"When I was younger, the most important thing to me was becoming stronger than my father," Ike reminisced. "I wanted to surpass him. Now, that's a goal I'll never achieve." Khimari put a hand on Ike's shoulder to support him as Nasir stayed silent in contemplation. The Laguz left the brothers in the field, where Ike decided to stand looking at the snowy landscape leading up to the horizon where the moon was lifting its face into the darkening sky.

"Hey, Ike," Khimari called, getting the commander's attention. "If you truly put your head to it, I think you can still surpass Greil one day," he said.

"…How? It's so far away it seems like a dream…"

"You know what we do with dreams? We chase them, and we make them reality. Keep on believing, and one day, you will. I can promise you that much," he enlightened.

"…You're right," Ike admitted. "There still is time, isn't there?" His face grew a smirk as he looked at the sky. "Khimari?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to surpass my father one day, but I've decided to take another step first," he said. "I'm coming for you." Khimari had a good laugh at Ike's proclamation, not a mocking laugh, but one that expressed his excitement.

"You're gonna have one heck of a time getting there," Khimari returned. "Who knows, you might actually beat me one day in the _not_ so near future."

"Don't be overconfident," Ike advised.

"I'm not overconfident, I'm just confident," the wolf defended. "Anyways, I know that our fight is going to be something awesome!" Ike nodded his agreement before giving a yawn that was by no means small. "Go to sleep," Khimari told Ike.

"Are you ordering me?" the mercenary commander joked.

"No, I'm telling you, and you're going to do it. I'm still older than you," the prince reminded him.

"Alright, alright. I'll go to sleep, bossy," Ike conceded, turning around and walking back to his tent. He wondered why he didn't hear any footsteps beside him until he saw a bright blue light from the corner of his eye. Looking behind him, he saw Khimari walking a circle three times before laying down under a tree. "You aren't going back to your tent?" he asked.

"Nah, I don't feel like it," the wolf responded. "Besides, I promised Rikari that I'd help him train tonight. Can you tell Mordecai and Zihark that I'm out here? I don't want them to worry."

"Alright," Ike agreed, "Good night, Khimari," he said, walking through the powdery snow to his tent as the wolf let himself drift to sleep listening to the song of the dancing wind.

XXXXX

(Warning: LONG/REMINISCING A/N)

(Any derogatory, insulting comments about this WILL be deleted/ignored. If you want to make fun of something, make fun of how I basically pushed Tora and Khimari to be friends. It's kinda rushed anyway.)

A/N: And there ya go! I'm back! Now, I already told you why I was EXTREMELY late when this, because I actually planned this to be out in November, but the above reasons happened. And ALSO, for everyone in the world, the U.S has a new president…Shoot me…Welp, that's democracy for ya, sometimes things happen that you don't like. The upside is that I can express that I don't like it, and even though I can't vote (I'm 15), I still felt like this was something that I can tell has affected me deeply. Now, I never liked the Donald, and something tells me that I never will (I have a forgive but sure-as-hell don't forget policy ESPECIALLY when it comes to something like what he has said), but for the sake of democracy, I have to let him have A chance.

I remember election night 8 years ago, when Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. It was the middle of the night and I was 7 years old, but when the people on TV said that he won, my mom and I rejoiced all through the night. I can still remember hugging my mom while we woke the entire house up screaming. Then…This election happened.

The reaction was exactly the OPPOSITE. I didn't go to sleep, but I didn't watch the entire thing. I turned and twisted in the bed, knowing that a lot of people would wake up finding themselves in what to me seemed like a living nightmare. It wasn't just me, either. Living in a black community and being black myself, everything flipped upside down. The teachers were quieter, the kids were depressed and some were genuinely scared of what Trump would do to them or their parents/families/friends (remember: many of my best friends are Hispanic).

Now I know people don't think Hillary was a good choice for president, but in my OPINION, I think that she would have done a fine job. Personally, I connect with her very well, in terms that I can understand all the criticism and the hate that she has had to go through. I must say that through my short lifetime, I've been called things by people that I don't ever want to repeat in my lifetime. The difference is that I cut it out of my life, while she still fought on. Even after the scandals, the hate directed at her for the last few DECADES (I wonder if it kills her on the inside whenever she says 30+ years. I mean it kind of makes her feel old, in my opinion), but she still tried and WANTED to SERVE the people that HATED her…I don't think I could, or would do that, if presented with the opportunity. I support her because I can relate to what she feels, and I can clearly see that she wants what's best for the country. But once again, I must respect democracy. (however lopsided it can be)

Well…Now that I have you all depressed, it good to be back on Fanfiction! I just got out of school for the semester on Friday after taking all of my tests, and I surprised myself with my grades for finals! As for classes, I start my Orchestra class in January! Also…hmmm…I forgot…OH YEAH! We did our little concert for the group orchestra I'm in on last Wednesday, and we ROCKED IT! Besides that, I'm going to enjoy my vacation by kicking back and writing some Fanfiction! (I would travel, but ya know, my whole family is a little on the poor side.)((Don't tell my mom on me))). So…There are BIG things coming up in the next few chapters, and I hope to get to ch.22 before I go back to school on Jan.3 so you can send curses at me for doing some pretty wild stuff. But for now, I'm done.

Blizzard, Out! (I missed doing that)


	20. The Truth of Betrayal

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Happy New Year! Here is another chapter and as a nosy person, I would want anyone who can review to post their new year's revolution about ANYTHING along with what they thought of the chapter! It's like a fun ice-breaker to get to know who reads my story, which you will do right…now! (Note, Blue Wolf's 1 year anniversary was on December 26! Happy Birthday!)

"Hm..."=Regular talk

'Hm…'= thinking

" _Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done…_

In the Begnion camp, Rikari groggily began to wake up. Even though he wanted to sleep longer, he couldn't make Khimari wait too long. Getting onto his feet, the orange wolf started to stretch the sleepy out of him. After about a minute of stretches, he decided that it was good enough before going outside.

"Where are you going?" a voice asked, startling the young Laguz. The owner of the voice turned out to be Tora.

"I'm going training with Khimari," he answered, and the response was a simple snort from his big brother.

"At this time?" he interrogated. "Are you going to wake him up?"

"N-No…"

"…Alright, go on. If I don't hear anything I'm coming to get you," the red wolf permitted, before returning to his slumber. Releasing an inaudible sigh of relief, Rikari left the tent and made his way over to the clearing where Khimari told him to go earlier. The soldiers from Begnion stood at the camp's entrance, looking for any sort of possible attack towards the hostile Daein forces.

Passing by all of the Beorc, Rikari eventually reached the tree where Khimari said that they would meet, although the prince was nowhere in sight. Confused, Rikari looked around, although he couldn't spot the wolf anywhere.

"You're late," a voice reprimanded, startling the young wolf into jumping back and raising his hackles. The figure of Khimari appeared a second later, shaking his body to release all of the snow from his fur. "It's at least ten minutes past moonhigh," he continued.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," he quickly responded, quickly finding out in training that the Laguz standing in front of him didn't take excuses lightly.

"That's the spirit," Khimari said, before turning around. "Transform and follow me," he told Rikari as he slowly padded into the forest. Doing as his teacher instructed, a soft orange glow surrounded Rikari for a few seconds, dissipating to reveal an orange wolf. Trailing behind Khimari, the young wolf could only wonder what the prince would teach him next. The blue wolf's training included things that were extremely outside of a sane person's realm of thinking: climbing a tree with claws only, running against the current in a small tributary, getting hunted by a purple-haired girl with thunder magic; it was endless.

The methods weren't in vain; however, as he could definitely tell a difference with himself now than when he was in the desert. He shocked himself when he found out that he could go toe to toe with Sothe, the thief kid who Tormod introduced him to. He even gave Maurim a hard time, and that was something in his books.

"We're here," Khimari said, stopping and turning around. Looking at where they were, Rikari couldn't help but be skeptical, because they were in a mass of trees in the middle of the surrounding forest. "Now, why couldn't you tell where I was when you came?" he asked, his dual-colored eyes seemingly glittering in the darkness of the night.

"I…couldn't see you. I didn't look hard enough," he admitted.

"You didn't use all of your senses," Khimari corrected. "The only thing you used was your sight. If you used your hearing, you could have heard me quietly scooping snow behind the tree, or if you used your nose, you would know at least know that I did some business on the tree in front of me," he informed, making the young cub's nose wrinkle in slight disgust.

"…I was really supposed to smell your…business?"

"No, not really. I just wanted to see your reaction," Khimari admitted, a hint of laughter in his voice. "On a serious note, sight is not the only thing available to you. Even in snow, you can smell. Don't limit yourself to what you're used to doing. That being said, you're going to have to hunt me down," he introduced.

"Hunt you?" Rikari echoed. Khimari nodded an affirmative, before throwing something at Rikari, which he caught.

"There's a Demi Band so you can stay transformed for a lot longer than usual. You have until sunrise, and you have to wait here for at least 2 minutes. You can use anything you need, and remember, you're a wolf." With the rules of the hunt established, Khimari turned around and broke off into a sprint in the opposite direction. The wolf prince's footsteps eventually faded into the distance, leading Rikari to believe that he went somewhere far. Waiting the two minutes, Rikari started his hunt by sniffing around, like his mentor told him to. Going in a straight path, he followed the wolf's scent until he was lead to a river. The scent quickly dissipated, throwing Rikari off once again.

Looking for any clues, he started to get discouraged until he came across a footprint in the snow. Lowering his nose to the print, Rikari started to sniff it. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any remnants of the wolf prince's scent. Looking up, he saw that there were more footprints, making a path! Excited, Rikari walked with extra pep in his step, walking along Khimari's tracks. At the entrance into the forest once again, he looked up to see that the moon was starting to set. He hastened his pace, hoping to catch up to his teacher.

His hope turned out to be false as the tracks stopped in the middle of the forest. Grunting in frustration, he decided to trace his steps back to where he found the first footprint. Slowly trekking to the place, something rustled in the bushes, catching his attention. Cautious, Rikari got into a stalking position as the shrub continued to shake. After a few seconds, he decided that he couldn't wait for whatever was there to run away and pounced. A hiss met his attack as Rikari and some other figure started tumbling through the powdery snow.

Jumping apart from whatever he had encountered, Rikari squinted at the animal to see what it was. Astonishingly, it turned out to be another wolf, gray but a great deal larger than he was. Rikari let his fur flatten to signal to the other wolf that he wasn't a threat. Fortunately, the gray canine saw the sign of peace and relaxed visibly, although it still seemed tense from being attacked.

"You, little pup," it angrily growled, shocked Rikari even further. "What's wrong with you?"

"You…You can understand me?" he asked.

"You're a wolf, aren't you?" he snorted. "Your color is a little funny though. Never seen a sunrise-colored pelt before."

"Y-yeah," Rikari agreed, still feeling as though in a dream. "Are you the only wolf Laguz here?"

"Laguz? You mean those transforming animals?" he questioned, genuinely curious as to what he was asked.

"Yes. That's who I am."

"Why are you here?" he continued, a hostile edge entering his voice.

"I'm looking for someone. I wish that you could-"

"A wolf never leaves their pack. Where are your parents?"

"They're dead…" he said quietly. "They were killed in the desert."

"The desert? Then why are you here?"

"Look, I don't have time for this," Rikari snapped, knowing that he needed to look for Khimari before sunrise came.

"Hm, you're just like all of those Laguz, thinking that you're above natural animals. Human hybrids are all I see. A disgrace to all wolves, your kind are," the wolf snarled.

"What? That's not true! I didn't-"

"Quiet you doppelganger! Don't tarnish the wolf name any more than you already have!" he hissed, raising his hackles and slowly advancing on Rikari.

"I don't mean to insult any of you!" the orange wolf yelled, stopping the wolf in his tracks. "I just need to find my teacher. I'm in the middle of training with him, and I'm supposed to track him down."

"So what?"

"Look, I'm sorry for offending you," Rikari apologized, attempting to derail the violence as fast as possible. "I…I'm probably not a real wolf, like you or Khimari, but that's why I'm trying now! I want to be better…"

"…Just a little cub," the gray wolf snorted, before turning around. "Follow me," he said before breaking off into a sprint. Snapped out of his daze, Rikari started to run after the fellow wolf, ducking and turning through the sleeping forest in a somewhat strenuous attempt to keep the other animal in sight.

Running, Rikari continued on until he saw the other wolf stop, prompting him to do the same. "Why…did you stop?" he asked, panting only slightly.

"Because, we're here," he answered vaguely, before disappearing into a patch of shrubs right next to the two. Following him, he followed the wolf once again. A few seconds passed before the undergrowth gave way to light, and the sight before Rikari simply stunned him.

A whole pack of wolves occupied the area, some awake and others sleeping. All of them surrounded the hidden grotto, either conversing with each other or doing something else until they noticed Rikari's presence. Almost instantly, all of the wolves turned to him, their gazes making him uncomfortable as they piled on his orange pelt.

"Who is this, Zaroff?" one wolf asked, jumping from the top of a small cliff.

"It's a wolf cub I found," Zaroff, his now revealed name, answered. "I think he's with the other one."

"Ah, so that was his test," the presumptive leader muttered, before padding to what seemed like a nursery of mothers with their cubs. Peeking in, Rikari could see all of the mothers calmly laying there with their children as a very strong-looking blue wolf told them stories. Looking back over to the left, he could also see-

'Wait a second…' Rikari thought, snapping his head back over to the blue wolf, now embroiled in a conversation with the supposed pack leader. 'That's Khimari!' he realized, before carefully walking over there.

"So, ya think they enjoyed me?" Khimari asked the leader.

"I think that they did. I'm impressed; it's like you're a mother wolf yourself."

"I don't think that should happen!" the blue wolf joked with a small purr of laughter. A second later, he turned to Rikari. "Welp, you found me. Good job, by the way."

"You were…" the orange wolf started, before leaving off. "At a wolf colony?"

"Yep!" Khimari answered, before he got a small twitch of his tail. "But I'll fill you in on the way back. It's almost dawn and I don't want search parties getting lost in the middle of the woods like some bad horror story." Turning to the leader, Khimari got up to his full height, which was actually a great deal larger than the leader himself, and lowered his head in respect. "We'll have to be leaving. The rest will be waiting for us."

"I wish you a safe journey, brother. May the moon protect you," he responded.

"And to you as well. Come on, Rikari," Khimari told the younger wolf, the two going back through the entrance that the orange wolf entered through.

"Khimari?" Rikari called about a minute after they left the wolf pack. "How come that guy didn't bow back to you? He knows that you're a prince, right?"

"No, and it wouldn't matter if he did know," the older wolf replied, beclouding Rikari. "This is something very important to know, Rikari. Imagine that both the lion king Caineghis and the raven King whoever that is switched places," he started. "Now, they're both kings, but would the people honestly listen to the opposite king as much as they would the ruler that is truly their king?"

"…I guess not," the orange wolf admitted, thinking very hard about this.

"It's the same principle applying here. I may be the prince of the wolf tribe of Laguz, but these are a completely separate pack of wolves in the Daein countryside. Not a word I say would be taken with any real seriousness as opposed to if I told you or Tora to do something, for example," the wolf explained. "Not to mention, they don't really care about anything that has nothing to do with them. What would be the use of telling them I'm a prince of a tribe they don't have any real connections with? Absolutely nothing, but a couple of weird looks and a 'so what' from someone. It's just not worth the breath."

"I…understand," Rikari replied, now aware of many things now. "Wait…so I was supposed to run into that wolf? And how could I understand him? Does he even speak our language? Why did you-"

"One at a time, please! You're gonna make me choke if you ask anymore," Khimari joked. "Now, to answer your questions," he started, putting much emphasis on the plurality of question. "Yes, that was a part of your test that I thought of after meeting with the wolves, which was before we got started, by the way. As for the second question, we may be Laguz, but we still have the ability to speak the tongue of our animal families. That being said, we can understand pretty much all canines and maybe felines, even though they don't speak our language."

"So, we can be like translators?" he asked curiously.

"If you want to be," the blue wolf shrugged. "I don't know who wants to hear a dog fantasizing about that large piece of chicken on the table, but it could work. Following off number two, he doesn't speak our language, but we all can communicate through growls and other sounds, like people."

"People growl?" Rikari skeptically asked.

"Oh believe me, when someone makes fun of Mist's color choices regarding flowers, she roars louder than me!"

"Mist? But, she's the nice brown-haired one right? She gave me a fish, and asked me if all wolves like seafood," the orange wolf revealed, getting a snort out of Khimari.

"Not ALL wolves like seafood…it's just the mass majority." When he finished speaking, he looked at the sky for the first time since they left the wolf den, and was shocked to see that the sun already had risen over the horizon. Ike and everyone else would start looking for the two, and that would certainly cause some trouble. "Rikari, we need to go!" he shouted, pushing the younger wolf in front of him before breaking off into a run.

"What? What's going on?" Rikari asked, panting as he struggled to keep up with the wolf.

"They're getting ready to pack up camp and leave! We have to get there before they send any people to search!" he hastily responded. Without another word, the two quickened their pace, a blur of white surrounding their vision as they sped through the snow-covered forest.

Running as fast as possible, they managed to reach the base in a matter of minutes, arriving to the sight of the Laguz and some of the other Greil Mercenaries around Ike.

"Does anyone know where-"

"We're right here!" Khimari yowled, running into the camp. He tried to stop immediately, but tripped over a tree branch, rolling across the snow for a couple feet before stopping and almost instantly getting to his feet. "Don't worry," he said, transforming into his Beorc form. "We're here," he reaffirmed, slightly panting.

"Khimari?" Tora asked, noticing that Rikari hadn't entered the clearing yet, despite the prince being there. "Where's-" A loud thump in the snow interrupted the red wolf's question, prompting the group to look over. In the snow, Rikari laid, panting extremely hard and transforming back into his Beorc form as well. Slowly working his way out of the snow, the youngest of the wolves walked over to his brother and his teacher, while giving the latter a dirty look.

"Why…did you…take off…like that!?" he hissed, trying straighten his breathing pattern.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to leave you off like that," Khimari apologized. "If you want, I'll carry you for a while when we leave," he offered, knowing that the wolf loved piggyback rides.

"You better," he panted.

"Now that that problem has resolved itself, I believe that we can leave for the Daein border in about fifteen minutes," Soren interjected, clearly irritated with Khimari's antics. "We should be able to reach the official Daein border by noon the day after tomorrow, where we will no doubt come across some resistance from their troops."

"That sounds good," Ike agreed, before looking at all of the other mercenaries. "Okay, everyone, today and tomorrow are travel days, from what it seems like. Don't overdo it on the march, so you can keep your strength up for when we fight," he added, looking at the two wolves in particular.

"Okay, commander. We got it," the blue wolf reassured, putting his surrogate brother's fears to rest.

"Good." Before the conversation could continue, Tanith came over with the usual serious look on her face.

"Commander, the Begnion platoon has mobilized and is ready to depart," the Pegasus knight reported.

"Good, I'll sound the leave. Mercenaries, come on, too," he ordered, all of them coming to the front of the army.

"Oh, I forgot," Khimari said aloud, before transforming into his wolf form. "Rikari, hop on," he said, which the tired orange wolf had no qualms doing.

"Finally!" he said in glee, hopping onto the wolf's back. Rolling his eyes, Khimari took a quick yawn before catching up with the rest of the group at the front lines. "Are you sleepy?" Rikari asked.

"A little bit, but I'll be fine," he responded, giving another small yawn.

"So, what were you two up to the whole night?" Titania asked. "I can't help but be curious after what happened earlier."

"Well, it wasn't the whole night; it was just from midnight. But it was just some night training," Khimari summarized. "But don't worry, we both got a really nice amount of sleep last night."

"What did you guys do?"

"Well, Rikari had to try and find me in the middle of a dense forest as a part of tracking," he explained.

"How'd that go?" Tora asked.

"It was…different," his little brother replied. "He left me clues on purpose, but after a while, everything clue vanished. I got lost after a while, before-"

"You got lost?" Tora cut in, narrowing his eyes at the older wolf. "Don't tell me that…"

"No, he would have been fine," the blue wolf reassured. "I made sure that there wasn't anything in the forest that he couldn't handle. Or else, we would have done something different."

"Hmmm…" Tora simply let that one slide, although not without giving the wolf a look. Noticing the stare, Khimari pretended not to notice even though his tail started wagging in a way that symbolized laughter. The red wolf simply let out a huff at the childish display and simply kept walking along with the rest of the army.

"So, what are we going to do today later?" Rikari asked, looking at the one who was carrying him.

"Probably nothing much," Khimari replied. "Treat it like an off-day, and try to relax, I guess." Feeling the orange wolf slouch above him, probably in disappointment, the blue wolf thought of something else to do that wouldn't tire Rikari out to the point that he couldn't function properly. "Don't bum yourself out, we'll probably find something."

"If you say so," he agreed, before seeing Tormod and Sothe talking to each other. "Hey, Tormod!" Rikari shouted, raising his hand in the air. The two looked over, and the young mage said something to the thief before the two came over.

"Hey, Rico!" Tormod returned, using the red wolf's nickname. He then noticed that Rikari was taller than usual. "Um…Why are you on top of Khimari?" he asked, putting the whole picture together.

"He worked me to death, so at the present I'm forcing him to carry me," Rikari replied, much like a little kid. "Onward, my steed! Rush your king to his next battle!" he joked, putting his arm in the air as if he were wielding a sword.

"Hey, let's remember who's who, alright?" Khimari snapped back, though in good nature.

"I know, I know…but can I be royalty now?"

"…Okay, fine," the blue wolf snorted, before giving the best impersonation of a horse's neigh as he could.

"Now, onward!" he commanded.

"Hold on tight," Khimari warned, before quickly settling into a crouch, startling some of the other mercenaries and soldiers alike. Before anyone could get a word from their mouth, Khimari pulsed out into the snow, running as fast as he can. Unfortunately for Rikari, that meant that he had to hold on for dear life, hanging on to the prince's thick fur as much as humanly possible.

"Okay, okaaayyyy!" Rikari yowled, trying to stop the playful rampage. "Stop, please! PLEASE!" he pleaded, before and abrupt stop from the wolf threw him head-first into the snow. As he got up and dusted himself off, he gave a dirty look at the mirthful wolf, whose eyes gleamed with laughter and youth. Looking off, Rikari saw that some of the Begnion soldiers smiled at the two wolves, a complete change from the cautious people that eyed them warily the day before.

"Rikari, come on!" called the blue wolf. "You don't want to be late, do you? We have battles to get to!"

"Are you kidding me!?" he returned as he ran over. "You're the one who flipped me into the snow!?"

"Blasphemy!" Khimari retorted. "I told you explicitly to hold on, and you clearly didn't listen, therefore, that whole fiasco was a result of you not keeping the fish in sight."

"...What does a fish have to do with this? Why are so you random!?"the orange wolf asked loudly.

"Why aren't you so random?" Khimari quietly shot back, gaining a smile at the sight of Rikari's mind going blank in confusion. "I thought so. Now let's go." Without any sort of rebuttal whatsoever, the orange wolf had no choice but to huff and continue walking along the prince.

XXXXX

"This is a sufficient amount of distance for today," Soren concluded. "We can stop here, and be on course for tomorrow."

"That would probably be the best form of action at the moment," Ike agreed. "Titania, can you get Tanith and inform her and the Begnion wing, please?"

"Yes, commander," she replied, before heading off on her horse. A little farther backwards in the army, Khimari and the rest of the Laguz laughed as they exchanged different stories about themselves.

"Hah! That's what happened!?" Tora asked incredulously, unable to keep his stolid face as he became embroiled in laughter at the blue wolf's expense. "You had to pretend to be a pet dog!? What I wouldn't give to see that!"

"Hey...Now I regret telling that story…" Khimari muttered, embarrassed at the reaction of when he told them about him staying transformed for years to pose as the family's pet dog, becoming subject to many laughs as his fur gradually warmed up, conflicting with the semi-frigid air they traveled in.

"Why, that's about the most hilarious AND the most embarrassing thing a Laguz could say!" Janaff quipped in between his bursts. "Poor thing, I couldn't imagine being someone's pet, even for a second, without losing my mind!"

"Jeez, thanks for the support, Janaff…" he dryly responded.

"Anytime, young prince!" the hawk chirped, raising more than a few eye twitches from the wolf. Before the wolf could be further used as a tool of laughter, Ike and Soren came to the group of Laguz.

"Okay, guys, it's time to set up camp," the commander said.

"Gotcha, and do you want to meet at the whojimama for the roll call?" Khimari responded.

"...I'm assuming that he means talking to you about who fights and who defends the princess," Soren deciphered, seeing the blank look on the face of Khimari's surrogate brother.

"Oh….Alright, then," he said slowly, before shaking his head a little bit. "You're still a little off your rocker."

"You're still a little on your rocker," Khimari baited.

"What does that even mean!?" Ike asked, exasperated at the backwards but loveable wolf.

"You decide. It's the opposite of what you said."

"...Please, help get the camp ready. If you need me, I'll be getting firewood." With that, he left the Laguz to their own devices.

"All right, guys. Let's get these tents set up," the wolf yawned, reverting to his Beorc form as the others followed suit. Grabbing tents and the other materials, they got to work, two people together for every tent. Before long, they set up all the tents that needed to be done, and were on their way to the mess hall. Walking in, there was a usual mass of soldiers that looked at the group warily, although they at least tried to be discreet.

"Why are all of them looking at us?" Rikari whispered after a short while. "It's kinda stalkerish."

"They don't know who we are, and they only care about what we are," Khimari replied back, foregoing any sort of whispering to the point where some soldiers could hear him. "They're just...nervous."

"What? nervous?"

"Yep!" he exclaimed. "Don't give it any time of day though. They'll either warm up to you-rather slowly, probably-or try to kill you after we're done with this," he bluntly put, all the while standing next to a table of Begnion soldiers that silently listened to the prince while continuing their meals.

",,,What?" Rikari replied, now just being the two of them as the other Laguz went into the line for food. "That's pretty...extreme, isn't it?"

"I can't say for sure…" the blue wolf replied, with a shrug. "After all, who wouldn't want to get revenge by killing wolves born after the assassination? Hate is a strong thing," he sighed. "Some will just see us as potential backstabbers, and try to rip the dagger in our necks first, and that's what worries me most, sometimes."

"You're...worried about that?" Rikari asked incredulously. "But...you're like...you! You can beat anyone!"

"No, I can't, trust me," the older wolf laughed, recalling his fights with both the dragon king and the Black Knight, before he had to suppress a small shudder at the outcome of both of those fights...Being beat within an inch of his life and spared on a whim, in BOTH cases. Just then, Khimari's stomach gave him a wake-up call in the form of a growl, eliciting a laugh from the two. "On that note, let's get some food!" he said, the two walking over in the rapidly decreasing line. Within a few minutes, they were already at the head of the line. "Serve's up!"

"Just a second!" Mist's voice came through, the young girl coming through with a plate of three large steaks along with a couple of veggies on the side. "Here you go!" she smiled, putting the food on Khimari's tray, before going back and getting more food for Rikari. When the both of them were served, they went over to sit down by the other Laguz, Zihark, and Ilyana among the section where the Greil Mercenaries ate.

Not giving another moment, Khimari dived into the food, devouring it, although not too sloppily. Reyson couldn't help but feel a little...confused at the wolf's eating manners. "You might want to slow down…" Reyson advised, making Khimari's head perk up with a look of surprise and a piece of meat in his mouth. Quickly, the wolf swallowed his food before speaking.

"True...I don't want to choke...But I think I wasn't too fast, was I?" he finally replied.

"..." Reyson gave the wolf a blank look before breaking into a smirk and taking a bite from an apple. "Whatever floats your boat," he said.

"Speaking of boats, did I ever tell you little babies about the time I-"

"Babies!?" Rikari yowled. "I'm not a baby!"

"...Why, yes you are," Janaff chuckled. "You look a little hatchling to me!"

"Hey! I'm almost thirteen!" he said, crossing his arms.

",,,That's it?" Janaff cackled. "Why, little young one, I'm about a hundred and ten years strong!" he boasted, making Rikari's jaw drop.

"Woah! You're like...ancient!" he mesmerized, striking a nerve in Janaff's head at being called "old."

"Hey, you watch it! I'm just as young as your prince!" he remarked, causing a laugh as the mass majority of them took a look at the wolf, who was wolfing down another steak that he mysteriously got, considering no one saw him get up and ask for another one…

"What?" he obliviously asked when he noticed everyone staring at him, tipping his head as the rest burst into laughter at the clueless wolf. Khimari, not having any idea of what was happening, shrugged it off and returned to his food.

"You guys are ridiculous," Lethe put in, although she had allowed a rare smirk to appear on her face. Just then, she noticed a startling revelation. She looked at Khimari, then she looked at the one sitting right across from him, who just so happened to be the eating machine Ilyana. They were both stuffing food down their throats, but the most amazing part seemed to be that they did it in perfect sync.

"Do you see that?" she asked Mordecai, pointing her finger at the mage and Laguz.

"That...is impressive," the blue tiger commented, drawing looks to the eaters.

"They eat like crazed wolves!" Janaff said, putting his two cents in.

"Well...One of them is a crazed wolf…" Tora added, giving the rest a fresh round of laughter as the brown hawk adopted a sheepish expression.

"Whoops…" Janaff muttered, making a mental note to avoid saying wolf idioms from now on. By that time, the two food monsters finished their food, and engaged in a conversation.

"That was some good food!" Khimari said, Ilyana nodding in agreement.

"It was...Some lamb shanks would hit the spot, though…" she muttered.

"Lamb shanks? Haven't had those in a while...If Oscar were to make it, then I'd probably have to hunt lambs," he joked. Just then, Shinon walked into the hall, passing by as a large number of Begnion soldiers left, leaving a few along with the Mercenaries and Nasir, who was discussing something with Ike.

Khimari did his best to ignore the smug sniper, but it proved to be a nearly impossible mission, especially when the red-haired nuisance stopped RIGHT next to him that usual ugly mug. "Heh, did you kill enough vermin for yourself, diseased sub-human?" he taunted.

"..." Khimari stayed silent, trying not to cause any scene in order to keep the promise that he made to Ike.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Or did you go chicken?" he continued. "Well, I guess you are what you eat, and you did love chicke-"

"Why do you taunt Khimari?" Mordecai interrupted, coming to the rescue of his fellow Laguz. "Why does Beorc archer upset Khimari? Is there reason for trying to start fight? We all eat in peace."

"Hah, peace?" Shinon laughed. "You can't eat in peace when there are sub-humans like the family mutt here." Khimari's head, along with the everyone else in the mess hall, diverted their action toward the archer and the tiger Laguz.

"Sub...human?" Mordecai growled, crouching down as if he were in tiger form.

"Shinon, stop it!" Khimari yowled, getting up and creating a safe distance between Mordecai and the bowman. "Mordecai, don't listen to a word that he says. He's just a hater, that's all." The blue tiger quickly calmed down, however that wouldn't be able to stop the rest of the Laguz from being angry at the use of that derogatory term.

"Hey, what right do you have to call us sub-human!?" Rikari said, standing up. Scoffing, Shinon narrowed his eyes at the orange wolf.

"Because that's what you are. Are all you wolf hybrids this dumb?"

"What did you say?" the youngest wolf growled, slitting his eyes at Shinon as he looked about to fight.

"Khimari! What's going on?" Ike questioned, making his way over from the kitchen area.

"Your reinstated bow-nut has a stick in his behind," Khimari said with a dirty look in his eye.

"Shinon! What are you doing?" Ike interrogated, swinging his attention back to the cocky sniper.

"What? I'm just making sure that the circus animals remember what they really are."

"Why did you let him back here again?" the blue wolf asked Ike angrily, his arms crossed.

"Not to do this, for starters," Ike replied. "Shinon, you need to stay in your place."

"I am, it's not my fault the pets don't know where to heel," he retorted, before turning his heel and exiting as quick as he entered. Without a word, the two blue-haired brothers gave each other a look.

"...Who was... _that_?" Reyson asked, disgust evident in his voice. All of the Laguz had "a human" in their heads, but they didn't dare say it out loud.

As the scene calmed down, everyone else left, leaving the Laguz and a few others in the tent by themselves in silence. "Rikari…" Tora started, breaking the tense silence. "It's time for bed."

"...Alright," the young wolf agreed, uncharacteristically quiet as the two walked out to their tent.

"We should follow those two…" Khimari after they left, and no one tried to start any argument with that statement. A long…. _long_ sleep would be needed before any of them, especially Khimari, would even start to forget that.

XXXXX

"Can you believe what that guy said last night?" a Begnion soldier walking behind Khimari and Mist said to three other soldiers. "He just called them out, just like that!"

"Took someone long enough," another replied. "They need to know their place," he continued, making Khimari's hands ball into fists. Mist noticed and put her hand on his arm. He let go of his fists in a silent reply, but the anger was far from gone.

"...Maybe...We shouldn't say that," one soldier on the far left spoke up. Both Mist and Khimari started to listen to the conversation again, although they kept walking normally.

"What do you mean?" the soldier from before asked.

"I heard the two wolves talking last night," he confessed, getting a few gasps in reply. "They think that we're going to try and kill them. They're...nervous around us."

"They're nervous!?" the first soldier shouted in a whisper. "What about us? They killed our leader!"

"And we drove them to their death," the fourth soldier retorted, speaking in defense of the wolves as well. "It doesn't do good to put a wrong on top of a wrong. If they're nervous around us, I wouldn't have to wonder why."

"Yeah," the last soldier agreed. "They're also younger, way too young to have anything to do with the Apostle's demise. The least we can do is try to make them feel safe around us, or at least, not make them nervous every time we pick up some steel."

"I can't believe this...You all are some animal lovers!" the second soldier accused.

"You're on the wrong side, then," the soldier on the left scathingly replied. Having heard enough of the conversation, Khimari and his surrogate sister walked a little faster, and they both gained much more hope in the Begnion soldiers.

"See? There are some great people out there," Mist said.

"I always knew," Khimari replied, rolling his eyes. "I just didn't know if they would say it. You know, Laguz hating is a pretty popular thing outside of Laguz countries."

"Hopefully, that'll change soon…" Mist muttered, looking down at the snow-covered ground as she clasped her hands together. Khimari patted her head with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry, kiddo." Suddenly, Mist jumped down into a frog position, startling everyone around her. "Uhhh...Mist? Are you-" He couldn't even finish his question before his face got covered in snow.

"Whhoooppeeee!" the cleric cheered. "I finally pranked you!"

'She may have won this battle, but the war has just begun,' Khimari thought, smiling at Mist's victory moment while plotting a comeback prank for the brown-haired girl. Looking at Mist, the wolf didn't notice Nasir in front of him and accidently walked into him.

"Ugh...Oh, I'm sorry, Nasir!" Khimari apologized upon realizing what happened.

"Think nothing of it," the man excused. "How have you been? I witnessed that...moment between you and the archer."

"He just has issues. I'll have to make sure he doesn't provoke anyone else, though. Rikari looked ready for a fight," he admitted, sighing at the dumb sniper that Ike just HAD to let back...Stupid, always-deserves-another-chance Ike…

"Ah, the young wolf, yes? You seemed to have rubbed off on him. He's much more bull-headed than he used to be," Nasir joked.

"Hey!" Khimari cried. "I'm not bull-headed...all the time." Seeing that he lost this verbal battle of words, he lashed his tail out in annoyance. "How's your adventure with us going so far?" he asked, changing the topic.

"It's very interesting. I hear that you're heading into battle tomorrow."

"Yeah, we're going to cross the official border tomorrow, and it's gonna be one heck of a tussle," Khimari admitted. "But we'll be ready for those Daeins! Count on it!" he proclaimed.

"That's what I like to hear!" a voice shouted from seemingly nowhere, making the two Laguz look over to see Janaff and Ulki by their side. "I like your spunk, kid! I wish you could teach that to some of those featherheads back in Phoenicis!" Janaff complimented.

"What's wrong with them? Aren't you all spunky in your own way?" Khimari asked, prompting a "hmph" from the brown hawk.

"Aw, please! Some of these hawks are like chickens who want to crawl back into their eggs!" he retorted.

"Well, we don't hatch from eggs anymore," Ulki interjected, speaking for the first time that Khimari remembered.

"Of course we don't hatch from eggs!" Janaff balked. "We're way past that! I mean, wolves don't have to hibernate, still, right?"

"Um...Wolves never hibernated…" Khimari explained.

"WHAT!?" Janaff yowled, his eyes going wide. "But you guys would always retreat into those mountains and no one could find you guys...We just assumed you stayed dormant."

"No, we hide in the mountains and set up new ways of food from just getting fish, especially when the river freezes. But just being curious," Khimari started, "How did you know about the mountain?"

"Aw, please! Who wouldn't know about that mountain?" Janaff said, rolling his eyes. "We've seen that thing many times, and some hawks even wanted to see if anything was there."

"Why?"

"Because, we heard that the wolves had an entire underground kingdom under there! Now, we weren't enemies or anything, but it was more spectacle than anything."

"Did you ever find it?" Khimari asked, now wondering how much the hawk knew.

"No," Ulki answered this time. "The king banned all of us from searching there due to the mountain's proximity to Goldoa." Nasir seemed to move uncomfortably at the mention of the land of the dragons, but the three didn't notice the subtle shift in posture by the blue-haired man.

"Khimari!" Ike called, making the wolf turn to see his brother motion for him to come over there.

"Welp, I gotta go!" Going over to the commander, he waited patiently for what Ike would say. When nothing came out, Khimari was a little worried. "...Ike?" he said.

"...Never mind," the swordsman replied, something clearly on his mind.

"I see you're busy with something," the wolf noticed. "Did you need help with something?"

"No...I'll just call you back later," the Beorc decided.

"Alrighty, then." Taking his leave of the commander, Khimari wondered what in the world got into Ike to make him space out like that. Then out of nowhere, a weird chill made its way up his spine, making him shiver involuntarily. Khimari immediately got a bad feeling about whatever was approaching.

"These next days are gonna be crappy…" he muttered to himself.

XXXXX

Today was the day. The army had officially reached the Daein border, and they were in basically an hour or so away from fighting the Daein army. "Has Janaff returned from recon yet?" Ike asked Khimari.

"He's on his way, and should be here...about now." No later than that, a large flap showed said hawk coming down to tell the news.

"So, General…" he started, looking a little troubled. "It looks like there are a lot of enemy soldiers ahead. Now, they're mostly Daein soldiers, but I saw that there were some Kilvas ravens mixed in as well," he reported.

"More than last time?" Ike pressed, thinking about Tor Garen when the ravens took the group by surprise.

"Yeah, there's quite a few more, but the more worrying issue is that King Kilvas is among them." That seemed to wake up all of the Mercenaries.

"The crow king himself is cooperating with Daein?"

"Yep," Janaff grimly confirmed. "And compared with other crows, the king is in a class by himself. Of course, he wouldn't hold a candle against our king, but...Well, you know, you might want to be careful."

"A whole unit under King Kilvas? This bodes ill…" Nasir commented ominously.

"Our victory will be determined by how we deal with them," Soren concluded in an overbearingly obvious way, but now wasn't the time to call him out on it.

"As bird Laguz, can you tell us more about the Kilvas soldiers?" Titania requested to Ulki and Janaff. In response, they both gained a rather indignant, but polite face.

"Please don't put us together with those birds."

"We don't have special relations...with the crows," Ulki elaborated, showing even further the divide between the two bird Laguz tribes. The next person to look to was Reyson, and he didn't even have to say a word; his face explained his opinion of the ravens.

"Well...Is there any way that we can get the ravens to withdraw?" Ike asked the group amassed around him. "There has to be something we can do…" None of the Laguz had good relations with the ravens, but if they fought the raven king as it was, there were bound to be major casualties.

"I...suppose I can talk to King Kilvas, if I really have to..." Janaff reluctantly offered. "I don't think me talking to him is going to make any difference in the long run, however." Ulki nodded his agreement to his kinsman's statement, while Reyson wasn't as relenting on the subject matter.

"I will never speak to a crow again, under any circumstances," Reyson said.

"Stubborn bird," Khimari whispered under his breath.

"Whatever the course of action is, we're giving the enemy more time to prepare," Soren interjected.

"You're right," Ike agreed, before turning back to the rest of the group. "Let's get going!" With the order, the group did the final charge to the border, which was mere minutes. Everyone's minds filled with anticipation at the meeting of the king of the Kilvas ravens, and the air was so thick with tension that one could cut the air with a knife. The tense air soon replaced itself with an air of determination. The Greil Mercenaries marched to the battlefield with a serious air around them. This was a defining moment in their effort; a failure to break through the Daein ranks would almost certainly result in a failure for everything they're fighting for.

As they reached the snowy plains, they were met almost instantly by resistance. The Daeins came within sight, prepared and ready to fight. As the mercenaries approached, the enemy started to mobilize, some soldiers shouting all over the battlefield.

"Looks like we've been spotted," Nasir pointed out.

"Well, it makes sense with a group this big," Ike replied.

"So, how are we doing this?" Khimari asked.

"The old fashioned way. Go in from the front-fast and hard."

"What are we gonna do about the raven boss?"

"...We'll have to hope that something good comes out of that conversation, or else we're gonna be like chicken feed." As soon as Ike said that, Khimari heard something and looked up at the sky to see a ballista arrow sailing through the air.

"Ballista! Scatter!" he yowled, pushing Ike out of the way as the others found cover as well. When the arrow landed in the ground, the Daein soldiers wasted no time in advancing and were almost completely upon the mercenaries.

"Mercenaries, move out!" Ike commanded, marking the real beginning of the battle. Going with Gatrie and Astrid, Khimari found himself being flocked by three swordsman while the knights dealt with ravens. Growling in contempt, the wolf crouched menacingly at the soldiers before striking at the nearest one. Claws outstretched, he slashed at the man's hands, effectively making him drop his sword.

Suddenly, a wind spell came from nowhere, cutting the myrmidon and ending his life. There wasn't any time to see who did it, but Khimari made a mental note to thank them later. Teaming up with Mist, the two separated the remaining swordsmen, Khimari taking the swordmaster and Mist taking on the remaining myrmidon.

"This is for my family, beast!" the nameless swordmaster yowled, rushing at Khimari with extreme hate. The wolf had no difficulty with avoiding his sloppy blows, but something nagged at the wolf's mind. Biting the swordsman's hand, Khimari twisted his body and forced him to release his blade. Before the Daein could get up, Khimari jumped on top of him, pinning him by his shoulders.

"Tell me. What did I do to your family?" he asked, thinking that this could help him understand why Daeins have a predisposed anger towards Laguz.

"You were born, demon." Those were his last words before he found his neck snapped, Khimari hearing no more as it became more apparent that the hatred against Laguz was a baseless thing without any sufficient reason, in most cases. Looking over, he saw that Mist overwhelmed the myrmidon and pierced him in the stomach.

"Mist, are you done?" the wolf asked her. A nod met his question, and he beckoned her over with his tail. "Stay close," he commanded, before looking at a large raven approaching the battlefield…

"Wait...Oh, that's the raven king!" Khimari yowled after looking at the Laguz in better detail. It was a large black crow, much larger than the others, and had a little bit of dark blue on his head. "Mist, hurry up and get Janaff or Ulki," he hastily told the girl, who nodded in confirmation before running away to the hawks' location. With him gone, he took a deep breath as the raven descended closer and closer to him.

"Hmmm…" the raven hummed. "So are you this prince I've heard so much about?"

"Are you this king I know nothing about?" Khimari retorted, trying to stall for as long as possible.

"Hmph. It's delightful to see that you cunning wolves haven't lost your trickery," he hissed through his beak. "Khimari is your name, unless I'm mistaken."

"True, but who are you? It's only polite to tell someone your name," Khimari returned, trying to keep this engagement as civil for as long as possible.

"I'm Naesala, King Kilvas. Would you try to come to our side?" he then offered, catching the wolf off guard.

"What?"

"Daeins may be on the losing side, but they are very rich. They'll pay a large fine for your services, and-"

"We wolves aren't for sale, crow," Khimari growled. "I don't know how things work with Kilvas, but you're on the wrong side of the deal."

"Hm, suit yourself," he said indifferently. "But I must fulfill my contract, and that means that my fellow Laguz tribe is going to be extinct today." Without another word, Naesala cawed before flapping his wings. Khimari let off a warning howl in response, and crouched in a hunter's position while the raven king prepared to do a dive-bomb attack. Bracing himself, the wolf crouched even lower, before rolling to the side when Naesala was close enough.

Surprisingly, a gust of wind shot from the raven's wings when he flew by, catching Khimari off guard and littering him with cuts. "What was that?" he said to himself.

"I hope you're more of a fight than that," Naesala taunted, before attempting another dive-bomb. Now armed with the knowledge of Naesala's apparent magical abilities, Khimari made it a point to stay away from his wings. That made a strategy much harder, however.

Getting an idea, Khimari entered a hunter's crouch, and awaited the raven king's attack. The wolf focused his eyes on Naesala, and everything seemed to slow down around him. When the raven's beak was not but a few tail-lengths in front of him, Khimari sprung.

His claws scratched Naesala's left wing, and without thinking, he sank his claws on the king's neck, placing himself on the raven king's back. "Get off me!" Naesala shrieked, going higher and higher in the air. A few seconds later, Khimari made the mistake of looking down to see that he would certainly die if he fells from the raven's back.

"Sorry, but you have to land first before I go anywhere," Khimari hissed as he raised one of his paws to scratch the bird Laguz again. Feeling the weight leave his body, Naesala started to spin in the air, throwing Khimari off balance. Nearly falling off, he managed to catch himself by biting Naesala's wing.

"You're a nuisance," Naesala hissed in the wolf's ear. "But now, the wolves really will be extinct," he finished menacingly, before a gale of wind energy came and blew Khimari off of the raven. Twirling through the air, Khimari gave a howl of fear as he started a collision course with the ground.

"Someone, get him!" he heard a voice call, but to him it looked like everyone was too far to do anything. Closing his eyes, Khimari prepared for the worst until he felt a pair of talons grab him. Opening his eyes once again, the sight of Janaff greeted him.

"Huh, the king was right! You're a gutsy one for sure!" he eased, slowly getting away from enemy fire to let the wolf on the ground. Khimari normally would have give a response, but instead he shivered in fright of his near death experience at the hands of Naesala. When Janaff lowered Khimari to the ground, the wolf felt like his heart was going to burst.

"Khimari! Are you alright?" Ike asked, running up to his surrogate brother.

"I'll...be fine," he responded, trying to subdue the anxiety as much as possible. "How's the battle going?"

"We've broken through, and the ground units are mostly gone, but the main problem are the dragon knights," Ike relayed, before Naesala's caw pierced the air once again.

"Reyson is HERE!? Why?" he demanded. Looking over, the two brothers saw Janaff talking to Ulki.

"He supports the Crimean Army!" Janaff responded. "The Beorc who rescued him commands this troop."

"A human...came to the aid of Reyson?" Naesala asked, genuinely surprised at what he heard.

"Yes!" the hawk confirmed. "And he rescued Leanne, too!"

"What's going on?" another voice said, making Ike and Khimari turn to see Reyson and Oscar.

"Janaff's talking to the raven king," Ike answered. "And it seems to be doing something." Just then, Naesala saw Reyson flying in the sky and immediately started to come over. Khimari once again got ready to fight, but King Kilvas simply flew past him.

"Reyson!" he called, reverting to his Beorc form. No response met his greet, as Reyson simply stayed in the same place with his arms crossed. "Hey, Reyson!" Naesala called again. "You look sharp, kid!"

"Go...away…" Reyson finally said, still angry about being sold by his "friend."

"Oh, so you can talk," Naesala jokingly commented, in a vain attempt to lighten the mood.

"You...How dare you show yourself to me!?" the heron howled in fury.

"I've been called brazen before," Naesala shrugged. "Some have gone so far as to say even shameless. Come on, let me at least give you a reason," he pleaded.

"Leave! My ears are closed to you," Reyson denied, turning around.

"Reyson, we're friends, are we not?" the raven king asked, making the heron prince's head whip around, looking at Naesala in the eye.

"Yes, friends! Such great friends that you sold me to a wretched fat talking meatball!" he retorted, switching from sarcastic to bitter as he continued to rant.

"I didn't really sell you!" Naesala tried to defend. "Besides, I planned on rescuing you right away. You just got really impatient and flew away on your own befo-"

"Are you blaming ME?" Reyson interrupted, almost exploding.

"No, no!" Naesala quickly denied. "Okay, maybe a little," he relented, before sighing in defeat. "Well...Maybe it was I who was wrong...on all accounts." In response, Reyson looked at the king with shock.

"No one was hurt in the end," Naesala continued.

"Tell that to my burnt fur," Khimari scathingly muttered. King Kilvas and Reyson both looked at him.

"You looked just fine to-" Naesala's remark got stopped in his tracks when Khimari showed the bottom of his tail, which had a long mark of pink, like a scar.

"Yeah, you're not getting any higher in my books for a long time."

"Anyways…" Naesala started again. "No one died or suffered any permanent injury," he amended. "Why don't you smooth your ruffled feathers, hm?"

"...Leanne is alive," Reyson said, opening up the slightest bit.

"Yes, Tibarn's eyes told me," the raven revealed. "That gladdens my heart," commented genuinely. "I'm sure that King Lorazieh will feel much better when he sees her face. Things are taking a turn for the better, aren't they, Reyson?"

"I suppose...if you hadn't fooled me and taken me to the forest, we never would have discovered Leanne…" he admitted, before he took a deep breath. "Alright, I will forgive you. But just this once!" he quickly warned.

"Oh, Rey-"

"WITH conditions," the heron interrupted, capturing Naesala's undivided attention.

"What are they?"

"Pull your troops out of battle, and never go against your fellow Laguz in combat," Reyson demanded, making the raven's eyes nearly pop out.

"Reyson, that's far too much!" he objected, thinking of any alternative agreement that the two could make.

"What will you do then? Continue to fight the Crimean Army, to which I am in service?" Reyson provoked, refusing to budge an inch on the matter at hand.

"Very well, you win, Reyson," Naesala conceded. "I'll leave and take my soldiers with me. However," he paused. "I cannot guarantee what the future will allow. I still have the fate of my nation to consider, after all."

"So we're...friends again? Please, come down for a visit to Kilvas every once in a while," he offered. "Nealuchi would be delighted to see you."

"I'll do that," Reyson promised with a smile, remembering the kind elderly raven. "When the war is over, both Leanne and I will come," he resolved.

"Oh, and as for Tibarn…"

"I'll speak to him," Reyson eased, though he still kept an inward smirk from seeing Naesala's little fear of the hawk king. "There's no need for you to worry."

"Thank you. Farewell!" he said. "Watch yourself. This IS war, you know?" Just then, something dawned on the raven and he reached into his pocket before taking out some sort of bracelet and tossing it to Reyson. "I almost forgot. I got something for you. An "I'm sorry" present, if you will."

"What is this supposed to be?" he asked, curiously looking at it.

"It's a little human trinket," Naesala explained. "It's called a knight ring."

"Made by...Beorc?" Reyson asked, skeptical of the accessory.

"Don't make that that face. It proved quite useful when I tested it," Naesala eased.

"I get it," Reyson caved, thinking that it must be good for something. "I'll take it for now, then."

"Don't get killed, Reyson," the raven warned, sounding oddly concerned. "If anything were to happen to you...Nealuchi would never let me hear the end of it." With those words, Naesala transformed as he took to the skies and gave a caw.

"Listen to me, darkwings!" he called. "We are leaving. Turn immediately and let's go home." Almost instantly, the ravens disengaged and followed their leader away from the battlefield, drastically shortening the Daeins' advantage.

"Charge!" Ike commanded, heading into battle against the last few Daeins. Khimari joined him, running over to see a few swordsmen and a swordmaster with green hair. "Khimari, you take the leader, Titania and I will take care of the rest," he said as the paladin came next to them.

"I got it," the wolf confirmed, bounding up to the man. He stopped a few feet from the Daein, and stared him in the eye.

"A wolf Laguz…" the commander muttered. "I never thought that I would see one with my eyes."

"Yes, here I am," Khimari snarkily said.

"Before we fight, I wish to tell you that I harbor no prejudice against your kind," the Beorc said, catching Khimari off-guard. "My father taught me that all beings were created equal, and I apologize for ever uttering the phrase 'sub-human'."

"...Thank you," the wolf thanked, amazed to see a Daein so opened to Laguz. "I wish we could've talked more...We might've been friends…"

"Well, my name is Homasa," he revealed, unsheathing his sword. "May the best win."

With that, both of them rushed at each other, claw meeting sword. Shifting slightly, Homasa allowed a gust of wind to leave his sword, pushing the wolf back a few feet. Gaining momentum, he charged with his sword and readied a thrust. In retaliation, Khimari jumped on the sword and brought it to the ground momentarily before scratching the Daein on his arm.

Reeling back in pain, Homasa swung his sword, sending another blast flying at the wolf. Khimari dodged the blow by rolling to the side, and snapped back on all fours before jumping at him again. Open, Homasa had no choice but to raise his left arm as Khimari bit it ferociously. Yelling in pain, the swordsman didn't have any opportunity to counter before the wolf slammed his paw against his head, knocking him on on the frosty ground.

Khimari after seeing the daze and confusion in Homasa's eyes decided that he didn't deserve to die, and jumped off him.

"Do you...spare me?" the green-haired man asked, struggling to get up once again.

"You are worth sparing," Khimari returned in a warm purr.

"Khimari!" Ike called as he and a few others came to the wolf. "We routed the rest of the Daeins," he continued, before catching Homasa in his eyes. "That's the commander?"

"Yeah…"

"He's still breathing," Soren noted. "You didn't…"

"No," Khimari said. "He's not like the others. He needs to live longer."

"This is a battle, a war, Khimari," Soren retorted. "There is no time to show mercy towards the enemy."

"Ike, please," the wolf asked, ignoring the mage. "Can we patch him up a little bit?"

"...We'll have to keep him as a prisoner for a while, and we'll have to question him, but yes," Ike agreed.

"...Thank you," Khimari said graciously. In response, Soren scoffed and started to walk away until Titania came over with Elincia.

"Ike! Would you come with us to that building please?" she called.

"Yes," the commander responded, walking with the two over to the cabin. Curious, Khimari came along with them and Soren to a lone cabin on the edge of the forest. Taking the front, Titania opened the door, and let everyone see was stored inside. Needless to say, the contents stunned everyone.

It was filled with gold, gold, and then some more gold on top of that. No one could utter a single word as they stared at the massive hill of money that Daein hid in the shack.

"...Where in…" Khimari started, but couldn't even finish as he stood there, mesmerized by the gold.

"It's incredible, is it not?" Titania sarcastically asked. "All of it's gold." Walking over, Ike picked up a little gold, letting it fall through his fingers back into the large pile.

"With all this, Daein must be stinking rich!" he noted. "It doesn't even look real…What should we do with it?"

"As a spoil of war, it's naturally ours," Soren matter-of-factly stated.

"Can I borrow fifty thousand, then?" Ike requested, effectively boggling every one's mind to an extent.

"That's...quite a sum of money. What are you going to do with all of that?" Titania asked.

"It's...a private matter," he answered vaguely, until Titania shook her head.

"I apologize, commander," she spoke out. "You're not a child anymore, I shouldn't be prying like this."

"My Lord Ike," Elincia cut in. "Please, use these funds for the mercenary company. Considering that until now, I haven't had the resources to adequately pay anyone. Please…" she said, almost begging for Ike to take the money.

"If I may have just the fifty thousand, then that will be more than-"

"You won't borrow it," Titania interrupted. "You'll accept it! In good faith, as well. The remainder would go to Soren for the company maintenance. Would that be all right, Princess Elincia?" she asked. The princess gave her agreement in the form of a head nod.

"Yes, of course," she verbalized while Ike started scraping together the fifty thousand in a satchel. When he finished, he and Khimari left the cabin together and went back to camp.

"Khimari," the commander called. "Can you find Volke for me and tell him to meet me in my tent?"

"That explains the money part," the wolf responded, now understanding why his surrogate brother collected that ridiculous sum of money. "If I can ask, what are you paying Volke for?"

"Do you remember back at the castle in Crimea, when Ranulf was with us?" Ike started. Khimari nodded in confirmation. "Well, I'm going to pay for the report that Volke was going to give to Father."

"That makes sense. I'll get him fast," Khimari concluded. "In that case, do you want to be alone when he gives it?"

"...Yes, but I'll come tell you about it later," Ike decided. The wolf seemed to be perfectly fine with that decision, as he bounded away to the camping site that they had decided earlier before the battle.

"Volke, Ike wants to see you in his tent," Khimari said aloud to seemingly nobody in a secluded part of the campgrounds, knowing that the thief didn't like people.

"One hun-"

"Ike has much more money, tell him," Khimari interrupted, getting a glare from the man before he disappeared to go to the tent. Snickering, he turned around to see Soren and Titania walking over to him.

"Khimari, we have the commander," Titania reported.

"Is he all right?" Khimari asked.

"Yes he is," Titania reassured. "But I have to ask; What made you spare him?"

"He's...different," the wolf answered. "He apologized to me for ever saying sub-human in his lifetime, and told me that all of us are equal," he explained.

"That's...rather odd for a Daein soldier, especially a commander," Titania noted.

"So you spared him on a whim? A commander of the enemy forces?" Soren repeated rhetorically, with a sort of a piercing tone to it.

"Yes. I did," Khimari shot back just as sharp as Soren. In response, the mage sighed in frustration.

"You know that this is a war. Unless they are of the utmost importance, there would be nothing but a waste of supplies and men to keep any prisoners," Soren chastised.

"But Soren, he's different from the others."

"That's always how it begins until you're betrayed by someone. Being driven by your emotions won't bring anything but your own death."

"And being a cold stone won't bring you anything but misery," Khimari rebbutled. "What's your point?"

"You of all people should know that war ends when one side or the other is decimated. Emotions don't mean a thing," the mage stoically admonished.

"To you, they don't," Khimari shot back, turning around. "Soren, you're acting like a monster. No one will ever learn to love you if you don't show them that you're worth it." Without another word, he walked away, leaving Soren to ponder on the wolf's words.

Meanwhile, the wolf went away to the edge of the camp, and silently thought about the small tussle with Soren. 'Was it fair to tell Soren off like that?' he thought, feeling slightly guilty about his harshness. 'Maybe I should apologize later…' he wondered, so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice that there was a Begnion soldier standing near him.

"H-Hello?" the soldier called, snapping Khimari from his thoughts.

"Oh, hi, there!" he replied, a little shocked about a soldier coming up to him. "How are you doing?"

"Um...fine," he nervously responded. "And you?"

"I could be better, but hey! Everyone has their ups and downs."

"True…" the soldier agreed, before Tanith saw him near the wolf.

"No slacking!" she commanded, startling and scaring him.

"Gotta go!" he quickly said, before running back over to do whatever duty he had. The wolf could only shake his head at the extent of Tanith's bossiness within the Begnion ranks.

"Well, at least he tried to be nice," Khimari said to himself, before yawning. "Mmm, I'm sleepy...Maybe I'll nap outside tonight...Nah, the sun doesn't set for another few minutes," he decided, looking at the sun which slowly disappeared below the horizon. He thought that there was no harm in waiting.

"Hey, Khimari!" Mist called, snapping the wolf out of his next little daydream. "Have you seen Ike anywhere? He hasn't came for dinner yet."

"He's talking with Volke about something...Wait, dinner's ready?" he asked, the rest of Mist's words registering in his head.

"Um, yes!" she said exasperatedly. "You have one of the best noses here, and you couldn't tell!?"

"I was thinking about something!" he tried to defend, getting up and walking with Mist to the food tent. "It's not my fault I think a lot."

"Yes it is," Mist snorted. "You always have to think about everything! 'Was this right', or maybe 'I should've this, or 'was I too harsh with this!' It's like a play in one person's body!" she ranted.

"Well…" Khimari started, before realizing that everything Mist said had a truth in it.

"See, there you go again!" Mist joked, noticing that the wolf began to space out once again. "Are you alright? You weren't nearly this spacey a while ago," she observed.

"Yeah...I'll be fine...I just want some fish," he twisted when his stomach started to growl.

"Too bad!" the brown-haired girl denied. "We have stew today!"

"Oscar's stew works as well," Khimari agreed, walking a little faster for his food. A little bit unnerved, Mist stayed closely behind the wolf the whole way there so he didn't hog half of all the food to himself.

Unfortunately for Khimari, the line extended outside of the tent, meaning that he would have to wait awhile. "Welp, I guess I'll sit and wait," he sighed, taking a much slower pace as he and Mist joined Nephenee and Brom at the table. "Hey there," he greeted, wrapping his tail around Nephenee's stomach. In response, she leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Is there something I'm missing here?" Mist asked, leaning in on the two. "You two have gotten even MORE lovey-dovey than before!"

"Well...we just haven't had much time together lately, that's all," Khimari quickly excused, trying as hard as possible to hide his embarrassment.

"Y-yeah…" Nephenee agreed.

"Alright, if you say so," Mist shrugged, inwardly smirking to herself now that she had something to tease Khimari about.

"Those two young'uns are more in love than mah stomach and ham hocks!" Brom joked, adding his own two cents in.

"...Is that line shorter yet?" Khimari diverted, looking over to see that the line had greatly deteriorated. "I'll be right back," he told Nephenee, before she grabbed his arm.

"I-I'll go with ya," she said.

"Okay," he agreed, the two walking over to the back of the line. "How have you been lately? I'm sorry we haven't been together so much," he apologized.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I'm fit as a fiddle, by the way," she answered. "How 'bout you? Ya nearly scared me ta' death when I saw ya falling out of da sky," she turned, talking about the wolf's fight with Naesala.

"That's something I'd rather not want to experience again," Khimari admitted, making the country girl giggle. "But maybe I'll take you to a mountain or something and we'll just stand there for a while!"

'Umm...no," she rejected. "A mountain's a bit too cold."

"Please! I'll let you sleep on my fur," he offered, knowing that his fur had the perfect softness to make anyone feel better.

"...Maybe after this whole mess, I'll try it," she reluctantly agreed. "But cha better not try nothin'."

"I won't. Honest!" he swore as they continued to be ahead in the line. "You know...you never told me when your birthday was," he mentioned out of the blue, catching Nephenee's attention. "Would you mind telling me?"

"It's…July the second," she informed him.

"Thanks, and I promise you that I'll remember!" By the time that he made his promise they had reached the front of the line where Oscar had big bowls of stew in his hands with their name on it.

"Order up! Khimari, I already have an extra three bowls for you in the back, just come when you're done," the oldest brother added.

"Thanks! You're the best!" the wolf praised, before going back to the table with his girlfriend. Gulping his food down, Khimari had no problem going through the four bowls of stew that Oscar made. When he finished, he stayed with Nephenee and Brom at the table and talked about various topics.

"I wish I could try farming one time!" Khimari sighed after hearing Brom's enlightening explanation about pulling weeds out. "My claws would have something productive to do for once."

"Well, shucks! We'll take any help we can get on da' farm!" Brom invited. Just then, Khimari got another chill up his spine, making him shiver involuntarily for a second.

"Are ya alright?" Nephenee asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Nephee. I just have...a bad feeling about something," he revealed.

"Don't worry 'bout it!" Brom cheered. "With time, all o' yer' bad feelins' are gonna disappear like clouds!"

"Yeah…" the wolf halfheartedly agreed before yawning. "Well, time to hit the hay," he decided, standing up. "You want to show me your tent?" he asked Nephenee, who gave a shy little smile at the ground.

"As long as you don't stay too long," she responded. With that, the two left for Nephenee's tent that she shared with Brom, so enwrapped in each other that they didn't remember the man still sat in the lunch tent.

"So, uh...I guess, good night?" Khimari said when they reached the tent, sheepishly shaking his head.

"Night," Nephenee returned. "Do ya still 'member the night on the ship?" she suddenly asked.

"Of course I do, you fell asleep on my belly," he reminded her, making the girl blush.

"I wanna do that again. Just you n' me, outside," she admitted.

"So, you're one for nature? Alright," he agreed. "We'll have to find a good night, though."

"That's fine wit' me," she said. "I guess ya gotta go to your tent, too."

"Yep, but first, a little going away present." Before Nephenee could ask, Khimari gave her a kiss on her lips. Despite her initial shock, she eased into it and eventually got lost in his arms. A few seconds later, the two separated and quite frankly, they were a little embarrassed.

"Good night," Nephenee farewelled one last time with a smile on her face before going in her tent and closing it. Satisfied as well, Khimari got ready to return to his own sleeping place before a voice in the night called him.

"Khimari," Ike called, making the wolf turn around. "We have to talk. Come to my tent."

XXXXX

"And that's what Volke told me," Ike finished.

"..." Khimari stayed silent through the entire ordeal, knowing that what Ike had told Khimari was exactly the story that Greil told the wolf.

"You're not surprised?" Ike asked, wondering why the wolf didn't have any outbursts during the talk.

"No," he sighed, prompting a curious look from Ike. "Greil...he already told me everything."

"What!?" Ike yowled, loud but not too much so as to attract guards here. "How...Why...Why didn't you tell me?" Ike questioned, feeling betrayed.

"He told me never to tell you unless you already knew," Khimari revealed.

"And if I never found out?" Ike shot back.

"...To the grave, I guess."

"But...but…" To say that Ike was at a loss of words was an understatement; his own brother hid a secret from him about something that eluded him for most of his life. "I had a right to know!" he said in anger.

"I know, but…"

"But what!?" the commander seethed.

"Greil said it'd be best if you didn't know. You were still young and…"

"...Damn it all," Ike cursed. "You shouldn't have kept this from me. They were my parents!"

"...I know…" Khimari croaked, his emotions reaching a breaking point at lying to his surrogate brother for so long.

"What else was there...Why...didn't I remember?" Ike muttered, staring off into the tent wall.

"...Because someone made you forget," the wolf said, drawing Ike's gaze on him once again.

"What...do you mean?"

"On the day your mother died...a weird monk came with a knight and used some spell on you. You started yelling and then you went unconscious. After I touched the medallion for the first time, I picked you up and carried you in the house," the wolf told, closing his eyes as he remembered the scene of the day.

"Did Father tell you that as well?" Ike said, still angry at Khimari.

"No," he denied, bringing surprise to the Beorc's face. "He didn't have to tell me. I saw it with my own eyes."

"..."

"After I woke up being separated from my own mother," Khimari began. "I went outside the room where you found me. You gave me a fish and we played a while until a horrible scent hit my nose. We both followed the smell to see Greil stick his sword through someone's stomach. Afterwards...a woman with blue hair just like yours ran through and snatched the medallion from his hand."

"And she died for it," Ike bitterly finished.

"..." the wolf remained silent as Ike started to comprehend that day between his parents. "If it means anything to you anymore...I'm sorry," he said. Getting no response, the wolf excused himself from the commander's tent, and opted to spend the night outside where no one else could see him.

XXXXX

 _Two Weeks Later…_

A week, then another week had passed since Ike's uncovering of the truth. As a result of the event, his and Khimari's relationship remained extremely strained. The Beorc would hardly talk to the wolf barring orders or something company related. While Ike seemed to have gotten better, he still had a hard time dealing with so much being kept from him.

The wolf didn't fair much better, either. He felt terrible, but he couldn't tell Ike. Every single night, he would go outside his tent and look at the moon as usual wondering how everything could go back to it used to be.

He did this tonight as well, as Khimari laid in the snow looking at the night sky, riddled with stars.

"Oh, Ashera. Please, I never wanted this to happen," he said, praying to Ashera to help him and Ike trust each other again. Deciding to take a walk through the neighboring forest, Khimari stretched his legs and shook the snow from his fur before going out to walk. The sounds of the creatures of the night brought comfort to the wolf, who was able to get away from the camp of the Crimean Army.

A long while later, when the peak of night had already passed, Khimari found himself looking at a tree, thinking about hunting prey. At that moment, he heard something walking through the woods. The sound however, didn't make sense. Instead of another animal, what the wolf heard registered more as...footsteps?

"Who is that?" he muttered quietly to himself. Determined to find out, Khimari started to quietly stalk that person. Slowly advancing upon the individual, Khimari started to recognize a familiar scent, although the snow made it harder to identify it. His suspicion also increased when he saw the familiar flames of the medallion that he and Mist took care of. Encroaching further, the figure surprised Khimari when he started to look around before running, showing that he knew someone was on to him.

Refusing to give up the chase, Khimari kept hot on this person's tail, foregoing silence as it became clear his cover had been blown. Getting closer and closer, Khimari pounced on the runner, dragging both of them into the ground. Jumping away from the person, the prince growled at him until he noticed another person there.

It was a girl, with pink hair and orange skin, wearing a traditional blue outfit. She wore a look of surprise as she helped the one Khimari attacked to his feet, but his hood fell from his head in the process. To the wolf's surprise; however, the one who apparently stole the medallion turned out to be one who he thought that he could trust the most.

"...Nasir?"

XXXXX

A/N: And the plot gets...crazier? I don't know to be honest, I wrote a mass majority of this on the fly! As usual, let me apologize for procrastination, because this honestly should've been out...Monday? But, I got absorbed into other things (Music, Studying, Pokemon, etc.) But hey, it's good to be back! Remember to follow, fave, and review to keep the world spinning! (I know it's February, but I really want to know about the New Year's stuff. Heck, tell me in your native language if it's not english; I'll just figure it out!)

Blizzard, Out!


	21. Talrega and The Invitation

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: I'm a little sad...I'm going to have to cancel the story...It's not that I want to, but there's just too much going on in life. As of this update, the story is suspended, and I'll even put it up for adoption. Just pm me if you want to carry on the legacy of Khimari. I'll see you all later :(...

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APRIL FOOLS! Now that I'm done spouting that nonsense, come on and enjoy this not canceled chapter!

P.S: I know full well it isn't April anymore, but I'm too lazy to delete that message. Enjoy! :)

 _Last time on Blue Wolf,_

 _Getting closer and closer, Khimari pounced on the runner, dragging both of them into the ground. Jumping away from the person, the prince growled at him until he noticed another person there._

 _It was a girl, with pink hair and orange skin, wearing a traditional blue outfit. She wore a look of surprise as she helped the one Khimari attacked to his feet, but his hood fell from his head in the process. To the wolf's surprise; however, the one who apparently stole the medallion turned out to be one who he thought that he could trust the most._

 _"...Nasir?"_

XXXXX

 _The next morning…_

The morning started to make itself apparent when Ike began to awake from his uneasy slumber. Yesterday evening, he along with Soren and Titania discussed battle plans as well as the action of who would go into the battle at Talrega.

To say the least, picking who should go proved to be a challenge without having any information about their enemy. At the most, they found out that a strong battalion of wyvern riders lived there. The rest of the intel remained relatively unknown.

The road to Talrega hadn't been anything near easy, either. After crossing the Daein border, a skirmish between them and the Crimean army occurred almost every other day. No matter what precaution they took in order to avoid detection, the Daeins seemed to know their every move.

To say the least, the mere thought of an insider irked Ike on the inside. He knew that it would probably be someone that he knows. He sighed at the suggestion while someone made their way to his tent.

"May I enter?" they asked.

"Come in," Ike permitted, stifling a yawn as Soren made his entrance. "Good morning," he greeted.

"Likewise," the mage returned, before heading into business. "Continuing from last evening's conversation, we agreed to leaving Jill Fizzart at base camp along with Nephenee, Gatrie, and Mordecai, as well as having Kieran, Danved, Tormod and Rikari to protect princess Elincia along with base camp. I will also start a small search for any potential spies in camp."

Ike nodded his agreement to the mage's recount of the previous night. "That's about right. Did we get any more information about the enemy?"

"Nothing major," Soren rejected. "At the most, we only know that the commander's unit are expert dracoknights." Ike simply nodded, expecting that answer from the mage.

"Hello?" another voice came from outside.

"Come in," Ike permitted. A few seconds later, Titania entered the tent as well. "You two already discussed Talrega?"

"Yes," Soren confirmed. "We've already decided our plan of action."

"And your conclusion?"

"We will follow what we decided the previous night," Soren reminded. "We still leave in a few hours, so until then, we can do further planning if necessary." With that, the mage left the commander and deputy alone in the tent.

"...How have you been, Ike?" the paladin asked, breaking the silence between the two. "You've been looking really tired lately."

"I know, I've just been...thinking," he admitted. "There's just been so much on my mind lately."

"Wow…" Titania muttered, before uttering a small snort of laughter. "Ike didn't sleep because he was thinking...What an amazing world we live in. I wonder if Soren will start to be nice," she joked, attempting to lighten up the mood.

"Titania…" Ike said. "Now's not a good time."

"What's going on with you?" she prodded, now even more concerned.

"It's just...I can't talk about it," he decided, closing his eyes.

"And what happened between you and Khimari?" she started, prompting a sigh from the commander.

"Something...I have a hard time dealing with," he admitted. "How did you know?"

"You two barely talk anymore, and I know it's not because of workload," she revealed, making him swing his eyes back to her. "Did you two have a fight?"

"...Kinda," he confessed. "I was just...hurt."

"Did he tell you something?"

"No...yes?" he said, going back and forth in confusion. "I...don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what to do about it," he honestly said, shaking his head.

"Did you try to talk to Khimari about it?" she prodded.

"No…But if we're going to get past all this, maybe I should," he resolved.

"Alright then. In the meantime, I'll find Soren and prepare to-"

"Ike!" a voice shrieked only seconds before Mist came crashing into the tent. "Ike!" she yelled again, clearly hysterical.

"What's wrong?" he said, trying to figure out what's going on.

"My medallion's gone!" she splattered, spitting out her words.

"What's gone?" Titania asked, not understanding what the girl said.

"My medallion!" she yowled again, much clearer.

"What!?" Ike shouted, completely taken by surprise. "It's gone?"

"What am I going to do!?" Mist cried, sobbing uncontrollably. "It's all I have left of mother and, and, and-" she sputtered.

"Mist, calm down!" Ike commanded. The teen stopped her uncontrolled crying, but still sobbed silently as Ike tried to decipher the situation. "Now, did you drop it?" he asked. "Or maybe, you just misplaced it?"

"No!" she rejected. "I always carry it with me! And I'd never lose it!" she yelled, before trying to calm herself down. "I had before I went to bed last night. It disappeared while I was sleeping," she explained, before breaking out into tears again.

"Don't cry," Ike soothed. "It wasn't your fault."

"But…"

"Shhh... I'll find it, all right?"

"...Okay...Sorry," Mist said, returning to a more stable state.

"Mist?" Titania gently called, making the siblings look over at the paladin. "Did Khimari have it last night?" she asked, an idea coming to her head.

"Khimari?" Mist repeated, tipping her head in wonder. "...Nope," she replied, shaking her head. "He always asked or told me when he would take it, and he always knows where to put it back."

"Oh…"

"Speaking of Khimari...Ike?" Mist called. "Do you know where he is? He hasn't been talking to anyone much lately."

"...I haven't seen him since last night," he admitted. "Is he alright?" Ike asked, wondering how much this actually affected the wolf.

"I don't know," Mist said, getting worried all over again. "It's like he's shut off from the world sometimes…He won't talk out like he used to, and he's only saying one-word responses most of the time. Even Nephenee can barely get anything out of him," she revealed. Shock registered in the heads of the older Beorc in the room.

"Maybe we should go find him…" Titania said.

"...I'll do it," Ike volunteered, sighing. "I have to talk to him anyways."

"Alright, I'll oversee the transition," the redhead reassured. Nodding his thanks, Ike grabbed his sword and left the tent. As he exited, he saw that the only other people awake were sentries and guards from Begnion's ranks. Thankful for the lack of attention, he calmly walked over to Khimari's usual hangout, on the edge of the forest slightly outside the camp. When he reached the forest's entrance, he didn't find Khimari there, but instead, a frantic Rikari.

"Rikari? What's going on?" he asked.

"Khimari's gone!" the young wolf yelled.

"What do you mean, gone?"

"He said that he was going to show me something this morning before we march," Rikari told.  
"But when I came here, he was gone, and now I can't find him!"

Getting a headache, Ike started to rub one of his temples before an idea came to his head. "Can you scent him?" he asked.

"...Yeah, I should," the wolf agreed. Transforming, Rikari sniffed around the area for any traces of the wolf, and Khimari's scent lead through the woods. "It goes into the woods," he reported to the commander.

"Let's look for him there, then." With that the two ventured into the mass of trees, intent on finding the blue wolf. They walked for quite a while before Ike actually started to get anxious. "Is this where the scent's leading?"

"Yes," Rikari replied. "But it's starting to disappear as it gets stronger. I know we're getting close." Just then, Ike saw some pawprints in the snow, and went over to them. The orange wolf followed Ike, and sniffed them before Khimari's scent overloaded his nose.

"We're getting close," Ike noted. The wolf nodded in agreement before he noticed something that Khimari taught him.

"Wait a second…" he muttered, putting his paw next to the print. When he raised it, the hole in the snow wasn't nearly as deep as Khimari's footprint. Trying again, Rikari slammed his paw in the snow, this time, leaving a dent just as deep as Khimari's.

"Rikari, are you alright?" Ike asked.

"We have to hurry!" Rikari said, before breaking into a slow run. Dashing along with the wolf, Ike and Rikari came upon a small clearing.

They could tell that a battle occurred simply by looking at the scene. Trees were down, branches littered the ground, and blood was splattered on some trees. Looking around, Ike saw that two of the trees were completely sawed in half. Looking at them, he noticed that they had a burnt look to them, as if it were fire. Worried, he started to breathe hard before Rikari's scream filled his ears.

"IKE!" the wolf yelled at the top of his lungs.

"What?" he responded, running over to the wolf who was about to break into tears. "What's wrong?"

Rikari didn't even try to answer, he just raised a blue necklace in his hand. The commander instantly recognized it as the one that Khimari always wore around his neck. Ike breathe caught in his throat as a dark feeling started to invade his stomach. Emotion overwhelmed him, a feeling of despair that hadn't truly taken root of him since the death of his father, Greil.

The two stood there; Rikari broke into tears and Ike and while Ike tried not to, some escaped from his eyes every now and then. "...Let's return to camp," Ike croaked, his head hanging low. Without any word, the two traveled back to base to find Mist, Titania and some others waiting patiently for their arrival.

"Where...is he?" Mist asked, not seeing the blue wolf anywhere in sight. Ike couldn't say anything, but Rikari's crying only worsened. Hearing footsteps in the snow, Ike looked up to see Tora coming up to Rikari. Struck by grief, the orange wolf jumped into his big brother's arms.

"H-he's gone...he's gone!" he cried, weeping on Tora's shoulder. At the news, gasps broke out throughout the mercenary company. No one moved, and sobs filled the forest's edge as they mourned the life of the blue wolf. A little after, more of the mercenary company came and started to cry as well when they heard the news. Even some Begnion soldiers came to pay their respects, Tanith included.

"Ike…" Titania called after a while. "I'll go with Soren and take care of the camp for you. Make sure that you and Mist take your time." The Palin left, leaving the two siblings alone as the others already left.

"This...is just a bad dream, right brother?" Mist asked, her voice quivering.

"I wish it was…" Just then, something crossed Mist's mind.

"Ike! Did you bury him already?"

"We didn't find a body," he revealed, lighting a hope in the going young girl

"Then...he could still be alive!" she said, although the commander was skeptical.

"Mist…"

"No!" she rejected. "I know he's out there, and I am going to find him no matter what!" she declared, a burning fury and passion in her eyes.

"..." Ike only stared at his sister as he realized that she had the right way of thinking. "You're right," he agreed, hope welling from within him. "Mist, tell everyone that now one can go by themselves into unknown territory. We leave for Talrega at noon." With that, he left to return to his tent, only to see Nasir there.

"Ike, I've been meaning to talk to you," the Laguz said.

"About?"

"I think I may know Khimari's situation," he revealed, making Ike's eyes nearly pop out of his head.

"Come inside," Ike ordered, opening the tent as he and Nasir entered. "What do you mean?" he interrogated after the two got settled.

"There is a rumor about Daeins and Laguz," the man began, "that says that Laguz are kidnapped and transformed."

"Transformed?" Ike echoed, caught unaware.

"Yes," Nasir confirmed again. "They are given medicine and are morphed into killing machines. They become bloodthirsty monsters, although it isn't without effects."

"Like what?" Ike pressed.

"It severely shortens their lifespans, and the medicine kills their sense of reason."

"Are you saying...Khimari was kidnapped by Daein?"

"Yes, I believe that it is the most logical conclusion," the man said. "He's too valuable to kill. The Daeins may use him as a bargaining chip...or a weapon."

"I see…" he mumbled, troubled by the new information. "Thank you for telling me," he thanked.

"It is of no concern," Nasir returned. "I only wish to see him safe…" The Laguz then turned around to leave when Ike noticed bandages across his hand and leg.

"Nasir?" he called, stopping the man who was on his way out. "What happened to your hand and leg?"

"Err….It was an accident," Nasir revealed, keeping an even tone. "I accidently cut myself, and then I got my leg caught on a tree branch earlier."

"That's quite a clumsy streak," the commander noted.

"Indeed it is," Nasir agreed, before exiting the tent. Ike wasn't given a break because as soon as the Laguz left, Titania came inside.

"Are you doing alright?" the redhead asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Are we ready for Talrega?"

"Yes," the deputy confirmed. "In fact, we depart in about a half-hour.

"Good, let's finish getting ready." With that, the two left together to finish the oversight of the pack-up phase.

XXXXX

 _The next day…_

The sun had nearly reached its peak when the army found itself on the outskirts of Talrega, quickening their pace upon hearing from the hawk Laguz about the open floodgates.

"Alright, mercenaries, come!" Ike commanded, leading his group away from the Begnion section for further direction. "We still know little about our foe, so we will have to plan this carefully," he started. "Oscar, Titania, Boyd, you three should be our main line. We will advance to their commander but the important thing is that no one breaks through the ranks. Mages will fall behind them, and the rest will make up our rear. Janaff, Ulki, Rolf, Shinon, you need to keep a sharp eye for the dracoknights, especially if they're as tough as we've heard. Move out!" he then said, raising his sword.

The mercenaries then charged into the town, but they could find no person around. "Look out!" Ulki then yowled, motioning the others to an army of arrows piercing the sky.

"Take cover!" Ike yowled, getting down himself as others either did the same, or used their magic or shield to protect them. At the end of the small onslaught, Daein soldiers and swordsmen started to grace them with their presence. Getting into position, the group formed into the appropriate ranks as discussed by Ike. In formation, the vanguard of the army started to push back against the Daeins, Boyd and Ike teaming head-on against the troops.

Boyd took care of the lance men, while Ike and eventually Mia took on the fighters of the group. All seemed to be going well until a howl split the air. Quickly dispatching the last fighter, Ike looked up to see a group of wyvern knights approaching the group. "Someone get those dracoknights occupied!" he ordered, as having ground units fighting them would be a major disadvantage.

Those orders soon became fulfilled in the form of Janaff, Ulki, and Ilyana, who quickly started the assault on the knights, giving the main army a chance to advance. Looking ahead, Ike noticed that Titania and Oscar had a ferocious fight happening between them and 3 other paladins. Running to their aid, Ike joined Oscar in getting rid of one of the Daeins. Slicing the paladin's leg, the man winced in pain while the oldest of the three brothers rushed forward to give the finishing blow.

"Thank you," Oscar quickly said, before galloping away on his horse in order to assist Titania in her battle. Advancing forward, Ike charged deeper into the town. His progression quickly ended when he saw fire spells headed straight for him.

Ducking for cover, Ike barely avoided the burning balls of flame. Taking the offensive, he rushed the mages. He quickly dispatched the first one with a horizontal strike, and turned to see the other mage downed by an arrow.

Just a few seconds after, Oscar, with a bow, and Titania joined him in the middle of the town. "Is everything alright?" Titania asked.

"It's fine," Ike responded. "How are the others?"

"Managing," Oscar answered. "Most enemy troops are under control, and the dracoknights aren't causing that much trouble."

Ike nodded his approval and looked ahead to see waiting knights and a sniper no the watch for their approach. Going back a bit further, the commander also saw the faint outline at the entrance of their target guarded by a seemingly big man with a dragon, probably the enemy leader.

"Are any of the others coming this way?" Ike asked, wanting some backup for the last few soldiers on their path to the floodgates.

"There should be," Titania replied. "Mist and Lethe should be here soo-oh, here they are now," she amended when she saw the aforementioned two running up to them.

"Lethe, can you handle that small group over there with Titania and Oscar? Mist, you go with them too, and stay out of harm's way," he ordered.

"Okay," Mist agreed, running after the other three towards the small conglomerate of Daein soldiers. With those three occupied, Ike traveled directly to the enemy leader, a man by the name of Shiharam, his sources confirmed..

Getting a closer look, Ike saw a red-haired man with a tomahawk on top of his purple wyvern. "Are you the enemy commander?" Ike asked, adjusting his sword.

"I am," he confirmed, putting an idea into Ike's head.

"I'm Ike, leader of the Crimean Liberation Army. This may be sudden, but can we stop the fighting?" He asked, completely catching Shiharam off guard.

"What?"

"I would hope to shut off the floodgates. There's no need to put the civilians into our conflict," he explained. The request seemed to catch the wyvern fighter off-guard, as he lowered his weapon ever so slightly. For a moment, it seemed that he would comply with Ike and close the floodgates before the people suffered the consequences of war.

Unfortunately, the opportunity seemed to be lost as Shiharam raised his battle axe once more. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I can't do that. Until one of us have bested the other, the floodgates will remain open," he responded in an emotionless voice.

"If that's how you want it to be, then so be it," Ike said, settling into a combat stance. "Prepare yourself."

"So this is the enemy general, eh?" Shiharam said to himself, letting off a hearty laugh as his thoughts led him in a different direction. 'If this man is who he appears to be, I can die knowing Jill will be safe.'

The wyvern lord raised into the sky, signaling the beginning of the fight. Immediately, he threw his tomahawk at Ike. He barely avoided the axe that went back to its owner, who entered into a dive-bomb straight towards him.

Catching the axe, Shiharam raised for a swipe as he quickly approached Ike. Thrown off by the maneuver, the commander barely managed to deflect the axe. Thinking quickly, Ike grabbed Shiharam's arm and successfully dragged the man off his wyvern, both of them falling into the snow. Separating, the two wasted no time in starting a ground battle in which Shiharam did surprisingly well.

Ike started to gain the upper hand in the battle when a roar nearly shook him off his feet. Looking back, the daein commander's wyvern decided to intervene on its trainer's behalf, charging Ike. In response, the teen stumbled back while Shiharam got on his wyvern once again. Preparing another dive-bomb, the Daein set his sights on Ike as the two locked gazes.

When Shiharam entered attacking range, Ike swung his sword directly at the man's shoulder, cutting it deeply and forcing Shiharam to drop his weapon. Not giving any reprieve, Ike struck again, stabbing him in his abdomen before the wyvern could make distance between them.

The dying man fell from his wyvern, crashing into the snow as his mount descended towards his master. 'Harr…' the man thought as he closed his eyes for the final time.

Ike looked over at the dead body while the wyvern made mourning sounds of his master. The leader of the Greil Mercenaries only stared at the wyvern until it raised his head, gazing straight at him. For a while, it continued to stare until Oscar, Titania, and Soren appeared onto the scene, ready to fight. The wyvern looked at all three for a moment longer before turning away and flying back to the skies. The group of mercenaries watched the mount disappear into the skyline before turning back amongst themselves.

"Status?"

"All of the enemy troops have been defeated and the Begnion soldiers are closing the floodgates as we speak," Soren reported. "Tanith informed us that she would send a soldier when they stop the water."

"Good. Any casualties?"

"None to my knowledge," Titania answered this time.

Ike nodded his approval as a Begnion soldier approached them. "General Ike, sir! The floodgates have been closed!"

"Thank you," he said, letting the soldier return to his troop. "Soren, what's the damage to the area like?"

"Horrible," he said simply. "Many fields and homes are completely destroyed."

"I see…" Ike replied, realizing that they didn't stop the gates in time to prevent the destruction that occurred.

"...I don't think that the enemy general wanted this destruction either," Titania mentioned after a pause of silence. Without saying a word, Ike nodded his agreement with his deputy commander. He seemed to be an honorable man, and did seem like he wanted to follow through with Ike's request to shut the floodgates.

"This is heartless," a voice said. They all turned to see Princess Elincia standing there with her hands over her chest. "What will happen to the people that have lost their homes?" she asked, before looking to Ike specifically. "Is there any way that we can help them?"

"You want to aid the people of our enemy?" Soren scoffed. "That is a waste of time and energy that we cannot aff-"

"Soren," Ike cut off. "Take a portion of our supplies and give it to the townsfolk."

"What?" the mage said. "Are you serious?"

"Our opponents are the Daein people. The civilians have done nothing to us," Ike responded.

"Ike, I see how you feel for these people," Soren started, "But this is war! We can't afford-"

"Whatever effect it will have, Soren, I don't know," the commander cut off. "However, moving on without lifting a finger to help is something I cannot do." Done with talking for now, he turned around and went back to check on Mist and the other Mercenaries. He didn't have to walk far before seeing them standing around the clearing of the small town.

"How are you all?" Ike asked.

"We're fine," Boyd responded. "But I think Jill's taking it hard. She walked away a little while ago."

"Where'd she go?" he asked, knowing that he had to talk to her.

"Over there," Rolf answered, pointing to a small patch of woods leading to the river banks. Following the archer's direction, Ike slowly walked among the trees until he heard a small sniffling sound. Walking towards the sound, he found Jill looking at the snow, sobbing quietly.

"Oh, Father…" she said, making a dark feeling fall in Ike's stomach. He remembered his own father's death, and the pain that came with it. Taking a deep breath, Ike walked forward, stopping next to Jill.

"Jill...No matter whatever the reason, I'm the one who took your father from you. I won't...I can't use this war as an excuse." When Jill remained silence, Ike started to wonder what it would take for her to forgive him. "If you want revenge on me for your father, then I understand. You have...that right."

Silence once again followed his words. "I'll let you stay here and figure out what you want to do. We really want you to keep traveling with us….That's all I have to say," he finished, turning around and leaving the red-headed girl by herself. Upon returning, Ike saw the Mercenaries giving out small quantities of supplies among the common folk that lived there.

"Here you go," Rolf said, giving a woman and a small child a box filled with food.

"You're not...gonna hurt us?" the girl asked, a painfully worried look on her face.

"Never. You don't deserve to be hurt," the teenager replied gently, before becoming confused when the girl started crying.

"B-but...Daddy got hurt," she said. "Daddy won't even move anymore...Did he...deserve it?"

"No...He didn't…" Before Rolf could continue, the mother took the food and pushed her daughter behind her.

"Others won't be so kind to you," she warned, turning around. She then froze for a moment before turning her head back and looking Rolf straight in the eyes. "Thank you," she finished, before walking away with the heartbroken child. Staring at the broken family, Ike couldn't help but feel ashamed of what they had done;this war was against the terrible King Ashnard, not against all of the families of Daein. Even the soldiers were regular people with families and separate lives outside of warfare.

Sighing, he turned away to talk to General Tanith about their next move on their expedition to Daein's capital, Nevassa, where they would take on King Ashnard once and for all.

XXXXX

 _Later that day…_

Going into the food tent at their new campground site, Ike entered the line on his way to eat. When he arrived at the front, Oscar gave him the meal, the horseman's famous beef stew. This time, however, Ike didn't have much for an appetite. After finishing his only bowl, he took it up and left it with the pile of other dirty dishes before heading outside.

Nighttime would only be a few moments away, and everyone started to retreat into their tents for the night, barring the recon units. Ike went back to his tent too, deciding to go over the plan that he and Tanith came up with, along with Soren and Titania.

Once they arrived into the capital, all bets would be off. King Ashnard would use every tool at his disposal to defeat them, and they had to be ready for every possible scenario. After doing some planning with the Begnion Pegasus knight, they decided that they would merge units once in the capital and would use a full-frontal assault on the Keep to seize it. That was the gist of the plan, but the intricate details had yet to be made; Soren told him that they would be better known by tomorrow.

Laying down in his tent, Ike tried to get a little shuteye, but found it nearly impossible. Every time that he'd close his eyes, images of the poor Daeins in Talrega flooded his mind and made him open his eyes only to realize that the moment had already passed. The commander continued this cycle for what seemed like forever until he sat up and took a deep breath. Seeing that the problem wasn't going to fix itself, he decided to leave his tent and go for a little walk. Heading toward the nearby woods, Ike started a small hike before he heard a faint whisper behind him.

"Ike!" a voice whispered, making him turn to Mist quietly running towards him.

"Mist? What are you doing here?" he interrogated. "You should be sleeping."

"I could ask you the same thing," she rebutted. "So what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ike said. "You should go back to b-"

"No!" she interrupted. "I'm not going anywhere."

Huffing annoyedly, Ike saw that the feisty girl would stand her ground and saw it as pointless to argue with her. "Come walk with me," he offered, Mist coming to his side as the two siblings went through the forest.

"So what's been bugging you?" Mist asked quietly, looking at the surrounding trees and snow as they went through the forest.

"...Remember the people in Talrega?" Ike asked.

"Yeah...Those poor people…" Mist left off. "They needed help so bad, and almost everything they had got ruined in the flooding…" A look of realization fell upon her face when she understood what her brother meant. "You're having trouble with seeing the people in Talrega?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "It's just...they were all devastated, families got torn apart and their crops were destroyed. And the worst part about it is that we had a part in it. I can only wonder how many families have been torn apart by the war…"

"Well…" Mist tried to respond, before stopping. She couldn't come up with a response with that. Whoever's fault the war was for starting it, they both participated in tearing lives apart, whether they wanted it or not. The two stopped at a riverbank where the moon's reflection sparkled from the calm flowing stream. "I can understand it, but…"

"I just think that...Are we doing the right thing?" Ike asked.

"We're fighting for Crimea!" Mist said. "No matter what we may have done, we did this not to hurt people, but to help them. Ashnard is bad for everyone!"

"Yeah…" Ike halfheartedly agreed, not completely satisfied with that answer. Looking up, he saw the shining moon in the bright sky and thought of his surrogate brother, who often enjoyed stargazing. "...What do you think Khimari would say to us right now?" he questioned after a long bout of silence between the two.

"...What do you think he'd say?" Mist shot back, although she honestly didn't know what Khimari's response would be to this situation.

"Probably something like 'Get your head out the pity party and stuff it with stew'," the commander guessed, getting a laugh out of Mist.

"That sounds about right," she agreed, giggling. After a few seconds, she stopped giggling and followed Ike's eyes to the moon. "Do you think he's alright?"

"...I think so," Ike answered. "However tough the odds may be, Khimari's a survivor."

XXXXX

 _Meanwhile…_

Head throbbing, Khimari started to wake after what seemed like ages. Looking around him, he saw nothing but gray walls. Hearing metal on him, he looked down to see his legs in chains. Wondering where he was, he was snapped out of his curiosity when the memory of what happened to him returned to the forefront of his mind.

"Nasir!" he yowled, feeling angry at the man's betrayal. After seeing Nasir with that pink-haired girl, he assumed that she was his granddaughter that he talked about. It also meant that he was a spy for the Daeins and would still be among Ike and the others!

" _No!_ " he thought, getting on all his legs and trying to break free from the chains. As hard as he struggled, however, he couldn't break free from the metal bondeges.

"Well, well," a slippery smooth voice said. Looking up, he saw a woman in black clad armor opening the cell door and approaching him. As she approached, Khimari growled fiercely at her. "Don't remember me?" she said, feigning hurt. "Maybe this will help you!" she finished, brandishing a lance that summoned a fireball that hit Khimari directly. He howled in pain and tried to withstand it as much as possible before getting rid of the small burns still left on his fur.

"Now…" the woman said again, a sadistic look on her face. "Do you remember me, you pathetic sub-human life form?"

Looking up at her begrudgingly, Khimari did start to get a recollection about her identity. She reminded him...that's who it was!

"You're...Petrine….from the Four Riders…" Khimari answered, somewhat weak from the fireball attack. He seemed to be correct, as Petrine let out a cackling laugh that made him feel even more uncomfortable.

"I'm glad you remember me now," she commented. "Men!" she suddenly barked. "Get our prisoner ready for transport." Almost instantly after she gave her order, about a dozen soldiers came into the cell and crowded around Khimari, who growled and snapped at any of them that got close.

Another fireball soon lit him ablaze, sending more waves of pain throughout his body. "What...are you doing?" he panted as he tried to fight back against the soldiers that restrained him.

"We can't have an untrained pet, can we now?" Petrine mocked, almost sending the blue wolf into a frenzy. "But that'll be solved when you get to Gritnea Tower."

"Gritnea Tower?" the wolf repeated.

"Ah yes, you've never heard of it, I assume." As the soldiers put more mobile chains on him, Petrine gave a small laugh. "See, in Gritnea tower, sub-humans like you are given special medicine. It warps their minds, gives them extra strength, and turns them into the killing monsters they were meant to be!" she exclaimed. "And the best part...It locks away their control to such a point where they listen to everything we say," she finished with an evil look on her face.

Khimari was horrified and angry when he heard the new information. With a new burst of vigor, he started to struggle again and started to attack the soldiers, biting one on the arm. Foregoing the fire, Petrine put her lance right on Khimari's throat, a few inches away from puncturing his skin.

"Now, you need to learn how to behave," she said, no longer amused with Khimari's struggling. "You should be thankful I have to keep you alive."

"For what?" he spat in her face. Luckily, she took the lance away from his throat and turned around.

"Well, King Ashnard wants to have a private meeting with you," she said. "Consider it an invitation." With that, she sent one more fireball at Khimari, setting him on fire once again. "Men!" she barked once again, putting them at attention. "Bound him up quick and toss him in the caravan. His Majesty wants the beast before the end of the week, so we don't have much time."

Leaving the room, Petrine pulled out a small brown bag with a cloth inside it. Looking inside, the cloth had a blue aura around it, but significantly duller than when near the wolf. "Hmm...Whatever this thing is, that sub-human must be important to His Majesty's winning the war. I must bring this to him at any cost."

XXXXX

A/N: HOOOLLYY CRAP! I've been gone a while, and while I do have many actual reasons that make a lot of sense when explained in context, I don't feel like typing them. But excuse me for being late, and I can hopefully say that this should never happen much, bc as it's summer I should be able to get an update at least every two weeks before school starts back.

But on to the chapter, this was a plot twist that hopefully threw ALL Y'ALL of your rockers! Honestly, this is one of the few things I've planned out since the pirate chapters, hence the talking about Nasir's granddaughter on the way to Duke Tanis' place and stuff like that. Now that I look back, the foreshadowing of the event is WAY better than I give it credit for. That was actually some crafty stuff I pulled off (not to be braggy or anything, it just came out really good)

But remember what always WILL be the same: Review, Like, Favorite, and I'll catch y'all later!

Blizzard, out!


	22. The Mad King Pt1

Disclaimer: I do not own fire emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: I really have nothing to say, so enjoy this...well let's say, interesting chapter. (I really have no idea what I wrote)

 _A few days later..._

'What did I get myself into?' Khimari repeated in his mind multiple times. The Daein caravan had him bound in chains and surrounded by fire mages, not to mention the crazy goth Petrine chick that liked to torture him for amusement. The wolf sighed as he thought of his predicament. His mind then drifted to the place called Gritnea Tower.

He shuddered when he thought of what Petrine informed him. A place where they transformed Laguz into mindless killing machines made him sick to his core. After being told something like that, he questioned the sanity of whoever led the Laguz experiments.

"Oh wait," he started, breaking into a lifeless chuckle. "We're not worth anything to them. Not inhumane to experiment with something worthless," he put together, talking to himself aloud. Hanging his head in his chained hands, he sighed at his predicament. 'How in the world can I possibly get out of this?' he wondered, thinking of any way at all to get out of this situation.

"Get the prisoner!" he heard Petrine's voice bark out. Shortly after the crazy witch lady gave the order, he could feel rustling around his little cage. The soldiers in her troop opened the box to see Khimari sitting calmly while giving them a blank gaze.

"Come on, you," one of the soldiers said. "You're being-"

"Yeah, yeah," the wolf interrupted, standing up and jumping out of the caravan. "Where's my new cell? Might as well get cozy before I die."

"Uh, o-okay," the soldier stammered, not expecting a frank response like that. "This way," he directed, the four soldiers making a diamond formation around the Laguz. Looking around, he started to notice that the place where he exited started to look familiar.

"Hey, Mr. guards?" he called, getting their attention. "Where are we?" The Daeins shared a look before they came to a consensus.

"We're in Melior," the one in front answered as they came upon a large castle. Everything clicked in Khimari's head at that moment. They carried him back to Crimea to see Ashnard...So he wasn't in Daein anymore.

"Man, I wish I could tell Ike all of this," he muttered, seeing how the Mad King duped all of them into believing that he still roamed the Daein capital. Walking with the guards, Khimari took a mental note of every surrounding for his escape, especially as they neared the castle entrance.

"Halt," another soldier stated when they came up to the gates. "State your business here."

"Prisoner transport," Petrine answered, ending her silence.

"Alright," the soldier accepted before turning around. "Open the gates!" he ordered, before returning to his post at the right side of the gate. A few seconds later, the gates started to open to the group of people. When they finished, Petrine jumped off her horse and took point, everyone else following.

Needless to say, the castle was huge. Khimari never got to enter the place, but he saw pictures of it in many books that he read. The walls seemingly stretched to the sky, and the pictures adorned on the wall amazed him with how cool they were. The Crimean royal family, pictures of other leaders, and one of the Goddess Ashera came to be on the walls.

"Okay, I don't care if I'm gonna be doomed soon, this place looks awesome," the wolf said aloud, drawing snickers from his transport soldiers.

"We're glad you feel at home," Petrine said in a sweet voice that ended up being anything but sweet. "This is as far as I go," she then confirmed, turning back. "Soldiers, make sure he gets to his cell. His talk with His Majesty will be soon," she reminded with anticipation creeping into her voice.

Khimari couldn't help but be unnerved as they took him to his new sleeping place. Feeling a weight leave his arms, he discovered that they took the chains off his hands, allowing him to move freely. "Get in," the soldier demanded from him.

"For real?" the wolf asked. "You're not gonna throw me in and say 'Have a nice death, ya stinkin' beast?' You guys are awesome," he complimented, walking in the cell. A blue light surrounded him, putting the soldiers on alert. He jumped on his bed and did his three circles before lying down to see the Daeins with their weapons pointed at him.

"Calm down," he said. "I'm just taking a nap." The soldiers looked apprehensive, but ultimately shrugged as they closed the cell door and locked it. Closing his eyes, Khimari started to think about Ike and the company...and his freedom.

'Time to plan my escape…'

XXXXX

Ike and the Crimean Liberation Army just reached the Daein capital Nevassa and stood about an hour's march from the capital. The sun already set and they pitched their camp outside of the capital. Ike himself oversaw everyone getting an ample amount of sleep and weapons for tomorrow's mission, hopefully the last of this campaign.

"Titania," he called after checking with Jorge and Daniel about the weapons. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yes, they are ready for tomorrow," she confirmed. "All of them have been properly armed and just about every base has been covered. Ashnard will find us stronger than he ever expected."

"Good," he said with a sigh.

"Is something wrong?" the deputy commander asked.

"No, it's just...strange. The end of this war is tomorrow, and as good as it feels, it's...weird," Ike admitted. "After all this time, it's coming to a close."

"I understand...but the quicker this war is over, the quicker we can return to a stable life," Titania mentioned. "All we can do now is fight our very best."

"You're right. Maybe-"

"General Ike?" a voice called from out the tent, interrupting the two.

"Come in," the commander allowed.

"The prisoner has asked for your presence," he informed Ike.

"Me?" Ike returned, shocked by the information given to him. "...Alright. Can you take me to him?" he requested, to which the soldier affirmed.

"Yes, sir. Right this way," the Begnion soldier directed, taking the blue-headed mercenary around the camp to a small tent lit up by a small lantern. "He's in there," the soldier said.

"Thank you. Can you stand guard at the door?" Ike asked, the soldier saluting in response as he took his post outside the tent. Ike walked inside the tent to see a man sitting with chains around his hands. He had green hair and looked to be a swordmaster. "You wanted to see me?"

The man looked up and gave him a somewhat calm look on his face. "I have information regarding your wolf friend," he said, making Ike's eyes pop open in a split second.

"Where is he? What is Daein doing to him?" the commander demanded, staring the man, Homasa, straight in the eyes.

"If I guess correctly, he's being taken to a tower used to convert Laguz into Feral Ones," he informed.

"Feral Ones?" Ike echoed.

"Laguz that were given medicine that warped their very being," Homasa explained. "It removed their sense of reason, put them in a permanent transformed state and effectively turned them into killing machines at the cost of a drastically-reduced lifespan."

"..." Ike couldn't bring himself to say any words to the information that the Daein commander gave him. "Thank you for the information," he curtly said, before rising and leaving the tent in silence, pondering what he had just been told. Sighing, he simply went back to his tent in order to prepare for tomorrow.

XXXXX

 _The next day…_

Today was the day. Today, Ashnard would fall and the war would finally end. After all of these months of blood and violence, it would soon all be over. The thought itself brought Ike a sense of peace, although it still was too early to celebrate. The last battle still had to be fought. Sighing, Ike went to find Titania and Soren to get the rest of the kinks out of their siege plan and continue with the attack before the Mad King could amass any more of his forces for a final defense. It didn't take long, as they were in the strategy tent discussing the plans already.

"Good morning, Ike," Titania greeted as the teen walked in the tent, before getting straight to business. "How are you?"

"Ready to end this thing," he responded. The two nodded silently, having the same thoughts. "Preparations?"

"About completed," Soren answered. "Since we are right outside the Daein Keep, it should take about a half-hour to an hour's march in order to lay siege to the capital. The soldiers have all been reminded of their positions and all other measures have been thoroughly and routinely checked to provide maximum possibility of success."

Ike nodded at the response, and decided that the sooner they began the operation, the better the potential results would be. "Let's get the troops rallied. We need to hit them as fast and as hard as possible before they can mount a formidable defense," he deduced. The other two in the tent seemed to agree, nodding to the commander's words. With that, the three exited the tent and began the final march to the heart of Daein.

XXXXX

"So this is Daein's capital, huh?" Ike muttered to himself, looking around the apparently desolate city of Nevassa. The soldiers quickly assembled and the Liberation Army made quick time getting to the capital. To the suspicion and surprise of Ike and the others, however, they encountered nothing. No people, no soldiers, no assailants, not a single soul to be found.

While it was unnerving, Soren thought it best to simply advance with precautions so that the Mad King wouldn't be able to build up his defenses to a much higher level.

"Ike," someone called out. Looking back, he saw Nasir coming up to him. "Here you are."

"What is it, Nasir?"

"Are you sure you have enough soldiers to lay waste to the capital?" the man asked, looking genuinely concerned. "Your opponent is 'Mad King Ashnard.' Who knows what traps and tricks he may have in store for you…"

"He may have something planned, indeed," Titania agreed, a serious look covering her face. "He surely would have received reports of our advancement by this point…" she started before looking around for a second. "But...it's still so quiet…"

"Let's just keep going…" Ike deflected, wanting to get rid of the anxiety that he felt creeping upon the ranks.

"They know we're not going to hurt the citizenry, correct?" Elincia suddenly asked, looking distraught.

"They don't know that," Soren harshly replied. "For what they did to Crimea, it'd only be natural to assume that they'd expect a similar retaliation."

"What? What do you mean? Only the soldiers were imprisoned or killed, right?" Elincia asked, shocked.

"...You have no idea what it means to rule a nation," Soren criticized matter-of-factly. "Do you know what happens to a nation that loses a war. Everything is destroyed. Homes, land, crops, everything. The citizens are treated like dirt, if that. Crimeans are treated just as badly if not worse by Daeins than sub…..Laguz."

Elincia looked downright horrified at the description. Tears welled in her eyes and she looked ready to shut down. "...I am a fool," she told herself, drops hitting the frosty ground.

"Soren!" Ike chided, only for the tactician to "hmph" and keep walking. Sighing, he looked on as Titania comforted the princess. The paladin's words seemed to have worked, as Elincia's distraught composure became filled with willpower.

"I...will save the people of Crimea. This….I swear," she proclaimed.

"As I said before," Ike cut back in, "I won't be turned away. We will fight through, no matter what we may face. This fight ends here!" he said to Elincia, matching her wavelength of will.

"I will do my best to make sure all goes as planned." Soren then added, even feeling that he had to join in the moment.

With an extra dose of encouragement, the Crimean Army, with the Mercenaries at its head, marched on to the Keep. Stopping for a second, Ike looked back before twitching his head in the direction of the doors. Going in, the army entered the heart of Daein's capital, the Daein Keep.

….Suddenly, the doors swung shut behind them, smashing closed with a loud thump. Immediately, panic started to arise from the soldiers.

"The gates just closed behind us!" one yelled.

"We're trapped! Run! RUN!"

"We're under attack! They're all gonna kill us!"

XXXXX

A/N: I am SSOOOOO Sorry for not being able to update since….forever. To be blunt, life is crazy. Between my crazy life story and fulfilling all the duties of being a student, Christian, caring son and a helpful person, consider my life filled. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this, and if it's shorter than usual, it's because I'm cutting this chapter into 3 different sections.

See y'all in part two!~

Blizzard, Out! (Although I just got back in, lol)


	23. The Mad King Pt2

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

A/N: Alright, here's part two of the 3 part doohickey! Enjoy, fave follow and read on!

 _Last time on Blue Wolf…._

 _Closing his eyes, Khimari started to think about Ike and the company...and his freedom._

 _'Time to plan my escape…'_

 _XXXXX_

 _Going in, the army entered the heart of Daein's capital, the Daein Keep._

… _.Suddenly, the doors swung shut behind them, smashing closed with a loud thump. Immediately, panic started to arise from the soldiers._

 _"The gates just closed behind us!" one yelled._

 _"We're trapped! Run! RUN!"_

 _"We're under attack! They're all gonna kill us!"_

XXXXX

"Everyone, calm down!" Ike commanded, doing his best to ease the frightened soldiers. "Get a hold of yourselves! No one's even attacked us!"

"Ike!" Titania called, coming to the commander's side.

"Titania!" he called back, looking around. "Where's Princess Elincia?" he asked, noticing her absence.

"She's safe," the paladin eased. "She's with the supply convoy. We have very close guard around them."

Satisfied, Ike turned his attention to Soren. "Soren, is this an enemy trap?"

"...It could be…" he answered after a somewhat long pause.

"If so, to what end?" Titania followed much faster than Soren responded.

"Well….the goal isn't to divide our troops and reduce our fighting strength, obviously," Soren quickly deduced, the gears in his head rolling again. "If we're all packed together, that must mean that whatever they're planning, they want all of us to experience it."

"...So that means Daein thinks they have something they consider insurmountable. A secret weapon, of sorts…." Titania connected.

"So they're absolutely sure they'll win, is that it?" Ike summarized, muttering to himself. "King Ashnard of Daein….You'll regret underestimating us," he declared, raising his sword over his shoulder.

"No matter what," Soren began, "we must remain caution. We can spare no efforts to protect Princess Elincia. We should put together an elite team and head for the throne room," he strategized. "Choose the members of this team with care. Everything will rest on their shoulders," he gravely reminded Ike.

Taking a deep breath, he started to think about who he should take on the mission that would determine the fate of Crimea. "...Soren, you come….Titania, as well," he began. "Mordecai, Rikari, Zihark, Ilyana, Volke….Oscar, Boyd, Rolf, Reyson and Nephenee." As he called the names, those called walked up and readied themselves for battle. "The rest of you, secure our backs and keep Princess Elincia safe," he ordered, before turning forward with the small squad.

"Alright! Let's move out!" Ike rallied. Cautiously, the group of fighters ventured into the Keep. Being cautious turned out to be a boon, as almost instantly the Mercenaries found themselves assaulted by a unit of soldiers lead by a halberdier.

"Titania! Oscar!" Ike called, falling back as the two equestrians rushed ahead of the group, taking out two of the soldiers. "Advance!" he commanded.

The rest of the ragtag group blitzed the group, making quick work of the small band of Daein opposition. "Titania," Ike called. "Take some of our forces and head north. We'll continue on this side of the divide."

"Yes, commander," she said, before lifting her battle axe. "Oscar, Volke, Nephenee, Zihark, with me!" she called. The aforementioned names stepped out of the group and followed the deputy commander directly north, on the other side of the split. While they went that way, Ike took the other group along the walls of the Keep, continuing their assault.

The welcoming committee for Ike's group was a small unit of soldiers. Charging right ahead, Ike engaged a soldier, beginning another proxy battle between the Daeins and the Mercenaries.

Dodging a lance thrust, Ike slashed the man's arm. As the Daein cried in pain, Ike moved in and made another gash across his chest, throwing him to the ground. Looking at the rest of the troop, he found that the soldiers were dispatched with relative ease. "Onward!" he directed, pushing further into the Keep.

A spell stopped him right in his tracks, however. Looking ahead, he caught sight of a knight and a bishop barricading their path to the throne. "Ilyana! Soren!" he called, spurring the two mages to action. The two spellcaster responded with magic of their own, wind and thunder clashing against the enemy bishop. All the while, Ike used it for cover to close in on the bishop.

Bypassing the knight, Ike slashed the bishop across his stomach before turning around to see Mordecai and Rikari double-teaming the knight. Meanwhile, Boyd and Rolf took on two archers that tried to attack from behind. Satisfied with the current flow of battle, Ike decided it good enough to move forward even closer to the throne room.

Not much farther ahead, another knight greeted Ike, Ilyana and Soren. Filled with determination, Ike ran forward and with all his strength, struck the armor. It pierced the armor as if it was paper and rammed through the soldier's stomach. Pulling the sword out, Ike started to look behind before he felt electricity course through him.

Crying in pain, he convulsed a few times, barely managing to stay on his feet. "Ike!" a voice called out. A few seconds later, he heard the sound of singing. Recognizing it as Reyson, he felt relief when some of his wounds started to heal and his energy begin to return to him. Standing tall again, he looked back to the heron.

"Thank you."

"No problem," the Laguz replied. Just then, Titania rushed back from ahead of Ike, looking at the blue-haired boy from the top of her horse.

"You should be more careful of those mages," she told him.

"Duly noted," he replied rather cheekily. "What's the current state of things?"

"We handled a subgeneral from a little while back," the paladin reported. "The general's name protecting the throne is Ena, and from the looks of it, she's no pushover."

"Ena…" Ike echoed. "Any serious injuries?"

"None of yet."

"We'll split up again. Go on the fork to the left, while we'll take the right. Then we can regroup before we enter the throne room." Nodding, Titania galloped away to gather her batch of soldiers while Ike rallied the remaining ones. "Come on! We're almost to the throne!"

Almost instantly, the Mercenaries received opposition in the form of a mage and a sage, with two halberdiers and a sniper following closely behind. "Ilyana! Soren!" Seconds after Ike called their names, magic bolts of lightning and wind blasts flew overhead towards the enemy spellcasters. "Charge!" The Crimean mercenary yelled, using the magic battle as cover to rush to the sniper. In response, the soldier quickly took a bow out of his quiver. Before he could shoot, however, Ike reached him and forced his bow to the ground with his sword. Turning back to the sniper, Ike gave a quick triplet of slashes to the unarmed bowman, ending him at the spot. Looking back, he saw all the other soldiers dealt with and defeated. Giving the signal to go forward, Ike's sight turned back forward….to see a General in pure white armor staring at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ike challenged, walking forward, sword pointed in the Daein's direction. It was an older man, with a moustache and the look of many years of experience.

"I am Tauroneo," he confidently boomed, "a general of Daein. Young general of Crimea, I have but one question to ask you," he continued, admittedly throwing Ike off guard. "Your swordsmanship is familiar...Who taught you to fight in this way? That style was only used by one man….an old friend of mine."

"My father. He taught me to use a sword," Ike answered, extremely curious at this point of this general.

"Is that so?" the General said, a look of reminiscence on his face. "Then you are Gawain's son," he put together, making Ike's eyes go wide.

"Wait! Are you a friend of my father's?"

"We were good friends….long ago," he confirmed, changing Ike's attitude to one of amazement. "How is the old goat?"

"...My father no longer lives," the commander answered, his expression becoming hardened in an attempt to ward away the sadness of his father's death. "He was defeated and slain by a Daein General."

"It cannot be!" the General bellowed in shock. "For the Gawain I knew….Who was it? Who slayed Gawain?" he inquired.

"A knight encased in black armor."

"The Black Knight…" the man said, the name coming out as a mere whisper. Tauroneo stood for a few more moments, his eyes closed before they opened, resetting their gaze at Ike. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" he asked suddenly, throwing Ike off-guard.

"I have one sister," Ike answered warily, wondering what the General would want.

"In that case," the Daein began, putting his lance at attention. "I will not fight you." Ike's face was gobsmacked, and that put it nicely. "The world must not lose Gawain's style of swordsmanship," he explained. "I surrender. You may lock me away or execute me or what you will. I care not."

"Are you sane?" Ike blurted, coming out in a very Khimari-like way.

"Very much so," he answered, his face as serious as his tone. "I had already decided that I would die in this place. I have served this country for many years…since the time of the previous king. But the current regent….He rules through fear and terror and thirsts of nothing but war. I can abide it no longer."

"If you plan on dying anyway…." Ike thought aloud. "Join us. We need your strength."

"You would take a former Daein general?" he asked with a look of respect and shock on his face. "I cannot. Your fellow Crimeans would resist. They would never accept it."

"Well, we as an army do not have the luxury of being picky," Ike rebutted. "Please….lend us your strength."

"...As you will," the General agreed, raising his lance. "I've already thrown my life away. If I can serve you somehow, you may use it as you see fit."

Nodding, Ike turned his gaze away from the newest recruit to Titania and her sub-unit arriving at the entrance to the throne room. "Who's this?" the red-haired paladin asked immediately.

"New recruit. What's our status?"

"Cleared out. All that's left is the throne room."

"It's about time we end this," Ike determined, walking towards the throne room determined. "Ashnard! Show yourself!" he shouted, going around to see….a dragon?

"A Goldoan dragon?" he asked in surprise, also shocking all of the company.

"I've been waiting for you," a feminine voice spoke, yet rough in all the dragon's transformed glory. "You are General Ike, are you not?"

"How did…" Ike started, thinking that they were relatively unknown. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ena. By orders of the king, I am the protector of this capital."

"Withdraw," Ike commanded in the most authoritarian tone possible against a Goldoan dragon easily more than twice his size. "I've no desire to fight against you. It's Ashnard that we're after."

"I regret to inform you that the King is not here," the Dragon said, surprising all of the company even further.

"WHAT!?" Ike said, voicing everyone's thought.

"The King and the main body of the Daein Army remain in Crimea, where they have been since it fell," Ena continued.

"What are you saying? That the King abandoned the capital?"

"...I share your desire to see this conflict end," Ena dodged. "So rather than to see you travel to Crimea and fight Ashnard, I felt it would be much faster for me to defeat you and your army here. Don't you agree?"

"That's one way to look at it," the Crimean admitted, unsheathing his sword. "The problem is that I'd never let you do as you please with Crimea.

"We cannot having it both ways," Ena said. "We both want what is in our own interest, and that is why we have conflict. If neither of us will yield, our conflict will continue until only the stronger of us remains," she cryptically said. "I have my own reasons for fighting….And I will see you fall." Finishing that, she inhaled deeply, signaling the start of the battle.

With a battle cry, faced the dragon down as she exhaled, a pink flame flowing from her mouth. "Get out the way!" he told everyone, diving from the fire himself. Knowing he had no time to relax, Ike ran towards the Dragon and slashed her sides with his sword. A scratch had been made, but due to the Goldoan's hard scales, it was probably a small prick at best.

In response, Ena simply smacked Ike away with his hand, throwing him at least ten feet away on his back. Getting up, he saw the two Laguz and the triplets surrounding Ena. Getting up, Ike prepared himself to join the fray before he noticed something.

Ena was much more protective of her left side than her right. Whenever Boyd tried to attack the left side, she gave it priority over Rikari and Mordecai on the right. "Focus your attacks on her left side!" Ike yelled out, jumping back into the fray.

Listening to the commander, Mordecai switched sides and lunged at the pink dragon, only to get knocked away by her tail. However, Rikari used the distraction to sneak in and score his claws down her side.

It showed that it was more sensitive as Ena slightly winced in pain. Hardening his eyes, Ike ran forward with his sword and slashed Ena's belly, creating a slight wound. Grunting, Ena inhaled for another breath. Sensing the incoming danger, Ike waited until the last moment before diving to the right, avoiding the blast and coming right to Ena's side.

Giving no mercy, Ike yelled as he plunged his weapon into Ena's side, going quite deep. Roaring in agony, Ena snapped to Ike. Before he could get his sword out, Ena grabbed him and threw him into Boyd before yanking the sword out of her side, a gush of blood following. Getting back up, he saw Ena get hit with a particularly strong Thunder spell, courtesy of Ilyana, that made Ena scream even more. "Let's go all out!" Ike shouted, trying to end this as quickly as possible.

What ensued was a fury of steel against the Goldoan, who was forced on the defensive after the devastating blow to her side. Trying her best, a ferocious blow from Soren blew her back far enough, and forced the mighty dragon on her knee.

"Stop!" Ike ordered, breathing heavily with relief that it seemed over. Everyone had sustained injuries during the fight with the Goldoan, and it would take much longer to recover from this unexpected foe.

Reverting back to Beorc form, Ena, who had orange skin and pink hair, fell to her knees, panting and defeated. "You...are strong," she said, slowly picking herself up. "I have lost," she said sadly.

"Then calm yourself and surrender," Ike offered, limping up to her. "There's no reason for you to die."

"That….I cannot do," she rejected, staring directly into Ike's eyes with an expression of desperation.

"What?" Ike said, surprised. She was defeated, and was surrounded by the enemy. How could she refuse?

"I must….go to him!" she said, tears threatening to break loose from her eyes. She ran to Ike's left, stopping as Nasir came right in her path.

"Great timing, Nasir!" Ike commented. "Grab her!" Instead of obeying Ike, Nasir ran up to the commander, with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, confusing Ike.

"Nasir?" Ike started. Before he could ask any further, Nasir punched him in the stomach, blasting all the wind out of him. "Ungh…." Ike croaked, grabbing his stomach and trying not to hit the ground.

"Ike!" Soren yelled, running to the blue-head's side.

"Nasir! What are you doing?" Titania interrogated, coming closer to the man gone mad.

"Go now!" he told Ena, who nodded and ran away in the confusion. Seconds later, the Deputy Commander jumped off her horse and detained him while Ike caught his breath.

"We'll talk later, Titania," Ike said. "First, we have to return to base…and get some answers," he finished, staring right at the traitor who helped the Goldoan escape.

XXXXX

 _Four days later…._

'I think I got it,' Khimari thought as he laid on his cell bed, eyes closed. The soldiers rotated shifts approximately every 6 hours, and there was a 5 minute wait period between guards, 10 at the night shifts because of the soldiers' laziness. So his best way out would be at night, in the middle of the break. There were two knights at the end of the hallway, judging by the heavy clanking of armor, and afterwards, there were two long hallways that led outside the palace.

"Beast!" a familiar voice yelled, breaking his chain of thought. Looking up, the soldier was opening his cell quickly. As the key turned, the cell opened wide, revealing….Petrine. "It's time for you to see the King," she said, a malicious smile on her face.

"Oh….okay, cool, I guess," he unenthusiastically said, really not looking forward to this.

"Come!" the Daein Rider barked. Almost instantly, two soldiers came out and chained Khimari's arms, making sure he couldn't do anything. "Now that you're all cozy, you come with me," Petrine said to the wolf.

"Sure, Milady," the Laguz snarkily returned. In response, the woman only gave a "hmph" as the two walked the palace of the Crimean capital. The trip was silent, as for ocne, the goth lady wasn't in the mood to talk or smoke him like dinner meat. Only a few minutes later, they arrived at the throne room, which was heavily guarded.

It seemed like they knew of the visit, given how quickly they spreaded apart to make room for the two of them. If the circumstances weren't absolute crap, Khimari would've felt highly appreciative.

Stopping at the door, Petrine politely knocked and waited before she heard a gruff "enter." Obeying, she opened the door, holding it for Khimari before promptly closing it shut and leaving its care to a soldier.

"Ah, so I finally see you," the voice said again, malicious and powerful. Looking up, Khimari saw the cause of all the pain and strife from this war: King Ashnard.

The man was huge, clad in blue armor with amazingly long robes and an aura of _evil_. His very being made Petrine herself nervous, as could tell by the Paladin's increasing heart rate and shivers, not to mention the fear scent rolling off her.

"Petrine! Where's the report?" he interrogated. Quickly, the Paladin pulled out a piece of parchment and kneeled down before the King, holding it outwards in her hands. Grabbing it, Ashnard signaled Petrine to return to Khimari's side as he read said report, which Khimari wanted to hear as well.

A few moments later, Ashnard laughed as he ripped the paper in two. "So the capital's fallen, eh?" he said out loud, making Khimari flutter inside with happiness. That meant Ike and the others were alright and fighting on. "I knew it would come to this!" the crazy man continued. "How disappointing, even still. It doesn't matter how well you train an army-if they don't fight, they become weak. What's the life of a warrior without a steady diet of war? Pain and blood are the foods of a true warrior!" he bellowed, slamming his fist on the throne upon which he sat.

'Okay….this dude is insane,' Khimari thought as he watched the display.

"Suh-Speaking of soldiers," Petrine spattered, obviously scared of making one wrong action. "Your Highness….The majority of our forces had been moved to-"

"I left more than enough soldiers!" he roared in anger, making Khimari want to shrink back, in all honesty. "...Yet they could not prevail…." he murmured in a much calmer tone. "Perhaps I overestimated Ena. Even if she is a Goldoan Dragon….I guess that was the best she could do."

"I suppose…" Petrine agreed quietly, looking down at the ground.

"But the important thing is the Black Knight," Ashnard shifted. "Where's he gotten to? Have you seen him in the capital?"

"I did," she affirmed, taking out a piece of cloth. "He bid me present this to Your Majesty…."

"Ah!" Ashnard exclaimed, his expression filled with anticipation and excitement. "It's found its way back to my hands at long last. Unwrap it! Quickly!" he ordered. "Unwrap it and show it to me!"

"V-very well," she obeyed, starting to unravel the medallion's cloth.

"Do be careful not to touch it, Petrine," the King warned as she unraveled the medallion's cloth. "It wouldn't do to have you go mad….I'd hate to have to kill you," he joked, breaking out into a cold laugh that sent shivers down Khimari's spine. This man was absolutely ruthless, going as far as to use his best soldiers for murder jokes.

At last, Petrine had fully unwrapped the medallion, and the cloth fell down to reveal the bronze medallion carried by Mist, now blazing with a blue aura.

"Behold," the King said, rising from his throne to look closer at the medallion. "How beautiful! See how it reacts to the war I have brought to this pathetic land!"

"Th-This is Lehran's Medallion?" Petrine asked, shaking in awe and fear.

"Yes. And inside….inside is a dark god of immeasurable power and cruelty. It once caused a flood so great it submerged all continents save Tellius under a watery tomb.

"That...blue light…." Petrine whispered, mesmerized by the glow.

"You...me….even this very castle itself…..we all radiate various forms of chaotic energy," Ashnard began to explain. "The dark god is pure chaos! The light that you see is that energy calling out to the chaos all around us. That is why some scholars refer to it as the Fire Emblem." He stopped for a second to look at Petrine's quivering form, before giving a great laugh. "Look how you tremble! This light has the power to bewitch the human soul, you know? It calls to our chaotic impulses-like the urge to slaughter every living thing in sight….Do you feel its invitation?" he asked Petrine. "The permission to act on any base emotion that resides in your heart, no matter how unspeakable?"

"I…." Petrine spluttered, clearly uncomfortable. "Your….Majesty….I have not finished the whole report…." In response, the King merely laughed at the Paladin's attempt to avoid the question.

"Guard!" he called, summoning the soldier from earlier to the foot of the throne where he resat.

"Sir!"

"Wrap that medallion and place it in the vault."

"At once!" the soldier complied, getting the medallion from Petrine and exiting the room.

With him gone, Ashnard returned his attention to Petrine, who was still trying to get rid of the insecurity she had gotten from the medallion. "...Go on," he ordered, snapping her from her stupor. "The report."

"Yes….of course!" she said, regaining her composure. "As Your Majesty ordered, the Black Knight moves to capture Princess Serenes. At last report, he is on his way to Phoenicis," she explained. Khimari made sure that he listened closely to every detail of this report to tell Ike and the others.

"I see….So he's decided to get the Princess and not the Prince, eh? Did he give any reasons?" the King questioned.

"Yes, Your Highness. It was based on the findings of a group of scholars. Because the princess was isolated for twenty years, they feel her powers will be stronger than her brother's."

"Yet….Can the Black Knight outwit the hawk king of Phoenicis and steal the princess away?" he pondered, which was something Khimari was hoping couldn't happen.

"The hawk king is not always at her side," Petrine informed Ashnard. "Plus, as you know, the Black Knight is in possession of warp powder. If someone of his might has the ability to appear and disappear at will, it may be that he is without equal-except for you, Your Majesty, of course!" she sucked-up, to avoid making the King feel the slightest bit angry.

"I will have to test that one day," Ashnard said of the Black Knight's might. "But not today. It is not often one finds a tool as valuable as he."

"Well spoken, Your Majesty."

"Now then, Petrine," he called, focusing his attention on the Rider once again. "What shall I do with you? You have made one blunder after another. How shall you prove your worth to me? If you wish to give me service, you must show me results! Unless….you too, wish to become food for Rajaion."

"Y-Your Majesty!" she shouted in absolute fear, throwing herself on her knees. "I will redouble my efforts! I...I won't let you down again!" she promised.

"You can be a general or you can be dinner," he said without a hint of emotion. "But do try to show a little more….initiative, will you?"

"Yes….Yes, Your Majesty," Petrine responded. "By….Your Lea-"

"Hold," Ashnard interrupted. "I forgot. What happened of Ena after the capital fell?"

"According to all reports, she escaped," Petrine informed him. "Her current location is unknown. However, this is Ena we're speaking of. She will return to you, Your Majesty."

"Kill her," he ordered.

"What?" Petrine asked, completely taken aback by the sudden order.

"I've no further use for her," he said as if Ena was but a rusted tool. "But….if it's too much for you to kill her outright. Use her trust and stab her in the back."

"As….As you wish," she agreed.

"Now leave me….I have to converse with our newest prisoner." Bowing, Petrine left the room, leaving only Khimari and Ashnard alone.

"Now….I have heard much about you, Khimari," the King started. "It is not often I hear of the Black Knight being injured, much less someone passing his perfect defense."

"..." Khimari didn't say a word in response, leading the King to laugh.

"Eh, so you're a quiet one? Well, calm your fur, beast," he mocked. "Your group has done very much to be a thorn in my side, and for that, I will reward you with a story."

"Of what?"

"My plans."

"Are you sure it's the smartest thing to tell your enemy what your whole grand scheme is?" Khimari asked, somehow forgetting he was in the presence of someone who could easily kill him where he stood.

"Yes, however, considering where you'll end up, it shouldn't matter," he ominously said, taking his seat on the throne. "Now, you know of the dark god of the medallion, as you were very attentive during my report from Petrine," he began. "My plan….is to release that dark god and drown all of Tellius with chaos."

Khimari's eyes widened to the size of the sun at that. Power, he expected. Destroying the world? He did not. "Why? You would get destroyed as well."

"That matters not," Ashnard said, creeping Khimari out even more. "I only wish to see the ultimate display of chaos, the world being engulfed in war until the dark god is awakened and DESTROYS EVERYTHING! That is the true sight of a warrior….TRUE ANNIHILATION!" he screamed, utterly crazy.

"You….are….insane…." Khimari said in disbelief.

"Perhaps….but this purpose is above any sort of insanity. It is perfection of pure chaos."

"Don't you realize what you're doing?" the wolf asked. "You're destroying everything! You're ruining families!"

"Do you think I care?" he asked, his voice chilling Khimari to the bone. "In the pursuit of my plan, all of humanity is a mere pawn. Life is but a mere obstruction of my goal."

"..." Khimari could do nothing but stare at the King in complete and utter shock. The King only laughed at the wolf's expression.

"Well, it was nice to talk to you, but you have an assignment for me," he continued.

"You think I'd do anything for _you_?" Khimari snarled, baring his fangs.

"Yes, I do," he answered calmly. "You will go to your friends, and rip them apart."

"NEVER!" the wolf roared, causing the guard at the door to rush for the Laguz.

"Hold," Ashnard told the soldier, while he rose from his throne and approached Khimari. "Yes, you will do what I say," he doubled down, grabbing Khimari's chin with his large hand. "You are _my_ prisoner. You, Sub-human, are my _property_. I _control_ you," he said, throwing Khimari's head to the right.

"You should be thankful. I am giving your loved ones one last time to see their dear friend. Too bad it will be you ripping them to shreds while they beg to the Goddess for mercy!" he laughed.

Khimari couldn't take anymore, and snapped. Transforming to his Laguz form, he broke the shackles around his paws with sheer anger powering him and lunged at the King of Daein.

Before he knew what he was doing, Ashnard grabbed him with both hands and slammed him down to the ground. "Heel," he ordered as Khimari reverted back to his Beorc form. Four guards rushed into the throne room and quickly rechained the wolf, and held him so that he couldn't do anything else.

"I will kill you," Khimari growled.

"No….It is not me you will kill," Ashnard denied. "But….you _will_ kill." The Mad King then looked at all his soldiers. "Take him to his cell!" he ordered. "When you finish….send a messenger to Izuka….at Gritnea Tower."

"Yes, sir!" they all obeyed, carrying the struggling wolf to his cell room.

….Little did they know, through Khimari's struggling, the wolf held a smile on his face as he caught the scent of the soldier who took the medallion to the vault.

XXXXX

A/N: …...Good. Mother. Of. Mercy. That. Was. Crazy.

But, please forgive me! I know I've been really messed up, but I HAVE been writing this, however a combination of school, writer's block and laziness has really held me up. I sincerely hope the next chapter doesn't take almost half a year to upload, and I really have to work to that end.

With that…..I hope y'all enjoyed whatever the heck THAT was.

Blizzard, out!


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